Blood Doesn't Always Make the Bond
by Raven Jadewolfe
Summary: Bella and family move to NH to escape a tragedy that left her a teen mother. She's not looking for a life beyond being a good mom, but the gang works to show her that there is more to life, friends, and family than blood.AH/C/NC pairs/18&over NOW COMPLETE
1. Moving Day

**Okay, this little snippet has been wandering around my head for a while now and I wanted to get it out there. I have no set idea of where I'm going with it, so please, don't expect regular updates or anything.**

** I own nothing but the plot.**

_ "Is mommy coming home tonight daddy?"_

_ "Afraid not pumpkin."_

_ "Why not? She never comes home anymore."_

_ "Sorry sweetheart, but mommy is still busy. Tell your brother that it's time for bed."_

_***flash***_

_ "Em, Bells, this is Sue Clearwater, she's a special friend. This is her daughter Leah and her son Seth."_

_ "But what about mom?"_

_ Emmett wraps his arm around me and puts his lips close to my ear,"I don't think mom is coming home Bellarina."_

_***flash***_

_ Cheerfully black eyes peer down at me, "I don't want to take your mother's place Bella, I just want to be there for you and your brother when she can't be."_

_ "You can't take the place of someone who's never been here Sue. I think it would be nice to have a mom again." And I meant it._

_***flash***_

_ The foul stench of stale beer makes my stomach churn as his breath washes over my face. "You are such a lying slut! You wanted me and I took pity on you, you fat bitch, so now it's time that I get what I want!"_

_ The pain is excruciating as my body is violated again and again by James and his friends. There is blood all over and on the ground where they had hit me until I gave up screaming and fighting them. I learned real quick that it was easier to lay there like a ragdoll until the nightmare ended. Somewhere, part of my brain has realized that Scott isn't screaming anymore. I think he might be dead._

_***flash***_

_"I'm sorry Bells, they still can't find James or the other two you said were there," my father looks broken as he confesses that my rapist is still at large. Sue hugs Leah to her, trying to protect at least one of her daughters from the horrors of what happened._

_***flash***_

_"Bella, you don't have to keep the baby," Charlie takes my hand in his._

_ "Yes, I do dad," I look up at him, steeling myself for what may come next, "It might be Scott's."_

_***flash* **_

_People stare, unapologetic, as I walk down the hall, my distended belly no doubt the object of their fascination. I guess being fifteen and pregnant really does bring out the worst in humanity, but I refuse to bow my head and be ashamed because I love my baby, no matter who or how they were conceived by._

_ They either don't think I can hear them, or don't care. No one believes that I was raped, despite the three months I had to spend in the hospital after being found half dead in a dumpster by a trash collector, my boyfriend's corpse rotting beside me. I was officially the school slut, though I did nothing to deserve the reputation. _

_***flash***_

_ "Come Bells, push!" Emmett bellows next to me, "One more and you finally get to meet your baby!"_

_ Another flare of white hot pain courses through my body and then it's suddenly gone. The doctors holds up the bloody form of my son. _

_ My son...._

_ "Welcome the the world Gavin!" my brother cheers while Sue kisses my forehead and tells me __how beautiful my baby is and how proud her and dad are of me._

"I can't believe that we're moving to New Hampshire!" Seth bounces next to me, knocking me out of my reverie and I have to dodge a tanned arm so I don't get hit in the face on account of his gangly and uncoordinated fifteen year old self.

"Yeah, it's going to be great." I want to smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace, since I know that one big reason that we are moving is because of me.

Too many rumors and sidelong glances have taken their toll on our family, much to my chagrine. The final straw was when my guidance counselor told me that it wasn't her problem that I'd been suspended for three days for missing too much school on account of my son's doctor's visits and that if I'd kept my legs closed in the first place, it wouldn't have been an issue. On the plus side, Charlie had heard her rant through the door and I now have my own large chunk of change sitting in the bank to help raise my son with as a result. At least now I don't feel like I'm siphoning off his and Sue's lottery winnings, even if they did win almost three hundred million.

A few more miles pass by unnoticed while I watch my two year old make faces in his sleep. My fingers twitch with a need to run them through his white blonde locks, but I resist because the movement would surely awaken him. Instead, I lean over and inhale the sunshine and honey scent gently wafting off of him. I swear, if I could bottle they way my son smells and sell it, I'd be a billionaire.

I feel the Escalade make a right turn and the tires crunch over the gravel as we ramble up the tree lined lane, with Emmett in his green Rubicon and Leah in my black F-150 close behind. Although it's mid afternoon, the canopy of green above us makes it look as if it's early evening. Beautiful.

Soon, the trees begin to thin and give way to a large yard that already has a large wooden play set erected on it. I can't contain a smile when Seth nudges me and points out a small wooden fort, complete with battlements and a winding slide. "Gavin's going to love it!" he chortles.

The house itself is supposed to be log cabin style, but I've never seen a three story cabin with a two story detached garage in my life, until now. Behind the massive structure, the afternoon light bounces off of the lake's surface, making it shimmer like diamonds.

Charlie slows the SUV to a stop and after shutting the engine off, turns to grin at Seth, Gavin, and me, "Welcome home."

**Reviews are appreciated. If you flame, expect to be laughed at.**


	2. First Day Pt 1

**Thanks to those kind enough to take the time and review!**

**I still don't own**

"Mommy, get up!" my darling little monster's voice shocks me out of my peaceful slumber, "School day!" The bed begins quaking as Gavin jumps up and down in his excitement.

"I'm up little man," I rasp then roll over and tackle him before smothering him with noisy kisses.

"Mommy stop!" my son squeals in between giggles, "Gamma maded bwekfasts and she says you hafs to come eat 'fore Emmy and Sef eat it all!"

"Oh, alright," I mock pout and press a kiss into his golden hair, "Go sic Gamma while I get dressed munchkin, I'll be down in a few minutes."

I wait until he scampers off to throw the covers back and haul my tired ass out of the bed. Still in a fog, I use the bathroom, then shuffle into the walk in closet. "Don't know why the damn thing needed to be so big," I grumble under my breath while hunting down my underthings along with a white tee shirt, my old blue jeans that the knees are ripped out of, my beat up Doc Marten's, and a hoodie to mask my paunch a bit, mainly because there is nothing more fun than having people stare at your fat ass the first day of school.

After dressing, I brush my waist length hair out and pull it back into a messy bun, not caring if anyone notices the nine tiny silver hoops gracing both of my ears or the larger set of silver filigree hoops hanging from the first holes. I briefly contemplate taking out my white gold star that's in my left nostril, but decide against it at the last minute when Sue interrupts my internal debate with a call over the intercom informing me that she's had to beat both of my brothers away from my plate three times already and she's not doing it again.

Emmett and Seth's dueling voices greet me as I wander into the massive kitchen. Sue and I exchange a look over the topic of conversation, what kind of hotties they hope to encounter at school. A pang of sadness momentarily stops me when I notice that Charlie and Leah aren't sitting at the table. He'd driven up to her college campus over the weekend to help haul furniture into her apartment. That was the excuse he used, at least. The rest of us knew that our dad was simply having trouble with his eldest finally severing the umbilical cord and striking out on her own. I admit that I miss her fiercely already, but it's not like she won't be home on weekends.

"What's got that pretty little head of yours so off kilter this morning kiddo?" Sue gently probes as she leans against the breakfast bar to my right.

I swallow my mouthful of eggs and take a long drink of my orange juice before shrugging, "Just wondering how much crap I'm going to have to deal with today. Are you sure that you're okay watching Gavin all day? After school, I could check and see if there is a daycare in town that could take him, if you want."

"That is an absolutely ridiculous thought Bella," she scoffs, feigning anger, "You forget dear, that I've not only managed to raise you and your sister, I've had," she throws her thumb over her shoulder, "those two heathens trying to sending me packing to the metal ward while I was at it. Watching my grandson is a welcome reprieve from your brothers, trust me on this."

I know better than to argue, so I settle for compromise instead, "Alright mom, you're the boss after all. How about I make dinner tonight then? I was thinking maybe chicken stir fry?"

"Sounds like a fair trade," she smiles and moves off to refill her coffee cup after kissing me on the forehead.

"Bellybean, are we all riding to school together or is the pup riding with me in the jeep?" Emmett inquires, reaching around me and stealing my last piece of bacon as he speaks.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't mind taking separate cars the first couple of days so that I can memorize how to get there and back," I respond and push my half eaten plate of food towards him, "You know how long it takes me to remember directions if I don't drive it a few times."

He nods his head in agreement then barks at Seth to get ready to go. Seth makes sure our mother isn't in range before flipping Emmett the middle finger and bolting upstairs to avoid our older brother's retaliation.

I try to stifle a smile that grows over their antics, but I'm too happy that Seth is as relaxed as he is this morning, especially after finding out last week that he had successfully tested into the senior class with me and Em. It's a tad disconcerting that I'll be attending class with my younger and older brothers, but comforting in the fact that I will know at least two people in my year.

With a sigh I rinse my plate and cup off, then put them in the dishwasher. "Baby, come give mommy a kiss, I've got to be leaving," I call out while collecting my bag and truck keys.

Gavin comes barreling into the foyer and I just manage to catch him and swing him up on to my hip. "I love you kidzilla," I mumble into his hair while he tries to kill me with a hug, "Be good for Gamma."

"Wuv you too mommy," he declares as I set back down onto the hard wood, "I'll be vewy good for Gamma, cuz she said we get ice cweam if I am. Oops, I wasn' opposed to say dat."

"It will be our little secret," I promise him as I open the door, "See you when I get home tonight."

"Bye mommy," his voice follows me as I step outside into the gray morning.

This is going to be harder than I thought, going back to school after spending a semester being home-schooled and getting to spend every day with my boy. Resisting the urge to run back inside and tell Sue that I've changed my mind, I climb inside of my truck and start it up. Upon hearing the roar of the engine, Emmet and Seth sprint out of the house and hop into Em's Rubicon. I wait long enough for them to fasten their seat belts before throwing the vehicle in gear and starting down the driveway.

Right as I turn onto the main road, I remember to activate the newly installed GPS system that dad had programmed for me before leaving with Leah three days before. I didn't even pretend to get upset when he and Sue had explained to me that my truck was being outfitted with the device because I am the kind of person who could get lost driving two miles down the road. I can't help it, it's one of my many scathing flaws.

None of this is lost on Emmett, who swiftly passes my pick up once he joins me on the black top, and takes the responsibility away from me having to find the accursed school. Luckily, it only takes about ten minutes to find it and pull into the student parking lot. I find an open spot between Em's jeep and a sporty looking dark silver Audi. I give the car and appreciative glance as I put the gearshift in park and cut the engine.

"Damn, and dad thought that the jeep was going to draw attention," I murmur aloud while getting my bag and hopping down from the cab.

"Oh my god, is that an Audi R8?!" Seth exclaims as he and Emmett make their way towards me, "That is so awesome! Think dad will let me get one for my birthday?"

"Not a fucking chance," Emmett snorts, bypassing the profanity filter that he keeps in place when the parentals are nearby, "You'd be dead within a week after trying to drive the thing like you were in Gran Turismo."

"But what a way to go," my little brother answers with one last wistful glance at the machine before following us into the building.

I'm surprised that the noise is a dull roar as my brothers sandwich me in between them during our trek to the main office to retrieve our class schedules. Unfortunately for me, they do a shit job of protecting me from the outright staring aimed at us as we walk. Being new students and walking with two guys who could pass for models on top of everything, I'm sure to be either extremely popular or a pariah by the time lunch rolls around.

Once in the office, I stay back and let Emmett take care of everything with the secretary. It doesn't take any time before he's handing Seth and I our schedules and maps of the grounds. I shuffle through the papers and discover written directions to the location to my locker which happens to be in the opposite direction of Seth and Emmett's.

"I can go with you, if you want me to Belly," Em offers, but I shake my head no. I don't want to be any more trouble that I've already been.

"I've got this Em," I reassure him with a pat on the arm, "Besides, Seth could use you more, since this is his first encounter with the fifth level of hell that is known to all teenagers as high school. I'm worried that some jackass is going to try and start shit with him because he's so young for a senior. Or worse, one of the resident bicycles catches the scent of new meat."

Understanding fills his bright hazel eyes, "Yeah, gotta keep the skanks off of the little brother, they'd eat him for breakfast."

"You know, I'm standing right here," Seth growls after Emmett gives me a bone crushing hug then scoops me up to give me one of his own. "I'll be okay Bells, I know what types to avoid. Now, stop worrying about us and get to class!" he finishes just as the bell rings.

With a heavy sigh, I give them a wave and start towards my first class. I'm a little annoyed that I didn't have time to find my locker, but shrug that off because I can always take care of that during my lunch.

A few minutes later, I end up lucking out and finding my locker right next to my English class. I try to be hasty with unloading my jacket and bag, but only end up scraping my shin with the metal door in the process. Biting back the plethora of expletives that are fighting to get free, I slam the damn thing shut and limp into the room, earning a wall of curious looks at my odd gait.

I put my head down and scurry over to the teacher, a mousy looking woman with a frizzy salt and pepper bun and big horn rimmed glasses. "Welcome to my class Isabella, I'm Ms. White," she exclaims with a smile. Despite her appearance, there is no trace of insincerity in her demeanor, "I've heard amazing things from your old teacher and am looking forward to our year together. Now, there's only one seat open and it's back by Alice. Do you mind sitting that far back?"

"No, that's fine, I'll be able to see from there. Thank you ma'am," I mumble, my face doing it's best to imitate a tomato.

She flashes me another smile and hands me my book. I trudge back to the desk that is sitting next to a dark haired girl how could pass for a bouncing twelve year old. "Hi, I'm Alice Brandon," she announces quietly, sticking her hand out expectantly.

I take her hand and pump it once before retreating, "Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella."

"We're going to be great friends, I can feel it," the dark haired girl smirks, then turns her head to listen to Ms. White, who has begin explaining the things we'll be covering this year.

I spend the next thirty minutes studiously taking notes until my phone vibrates in my pocket. I discreetly pull it out and see that Em sent me a text.

_ B, please shoot me now, the math teacher is even worse at math than you are!_

I restrain a snort and quickly tap out a message back. _Sorry Em, no can do, have no place to hide the body. Besides, I add and subtract just fine. _

I wait a few minutes for a reply, but he doesn't answer, so I go back to taking notes and before I realize it, the bell is signaling the end of class.

Just as I reach the door, Alice pops up beside me, "Hey, why don't you sit with me and my friends at lunch today? I promise that we only bite if you ask nicely."

"Um, sure," I find myself answering before I can think about it, "Do you mind if, um, my brothers come too?"

She bobs her head so fast that I start to worry about the bones of her neck snapping, "Sure! The more the merrier! I have a brother too, you can meet him then! Bye for now!"

I tell her bye and start navigating the halls to find my second class. The map leads me to a set of heavy doors leading outside. "Crap, it's in another building."

I shove one of the doors open and am too late to stop it from smacking a really tall kid in the face. He stumbles back, holding his nose, and I notice the trickle of bright red flowing through his fingers. "What the hell?" he yelps, then his dark eyes grow wide and I pull my hoodie off and shove it in his face.

"I'm so sorry about that. Just hold that against your nose, I'll try to find some help," I command and look around for my best chance of finding a route to the nurse's office.

"Don't, I'll be okay in a minute," he replies, his voice garbled by the fabric being held against his russet face, "I just need to sit down."

There's a picnic table about twenty feet away, so I guide him to it before sorting through my bag and producing a travel pack of wet wipes that I keep on hand for Gavin. "Here, you can clean the blood off with these."

"Thanks," he checks to see if the flow has stopped before setting my sweatshirt aside, "Let me introduce myself so you actually know who you assaulted. I'm Jake Black. You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"

"Wow, news travels fast here," I chuckle and hand him the wipes, "And it's Bella. Does everyone know who I am?"

"Well, it's not every day that we get three new students that are not only all seniors, but siblings as well," Jake qualifies as he cleans his face, "Not to mention, you don't look like a Seth or an Emmett to me. Isabella fits you so much better anyways, since it literally means beautiful in Italian."

I think he's flirting with me! I can't help the warmth that floods to my face at his words, "Erm, thanks. Do need help getting to class or anything?"

Jake shakes his head in response but points to the same building that I was on my way to when I took him out with the door, "I have history over there, though I'm obviously going to be late for it. Where are you heading?"

"Same direction as you, I think," I admit as he hands over the soiled hoodie and I stuff it into my bag, "I have history this hour as well."

He holds chivalrously holds out his arm, "Well then, shall we go then, beautiful Miss Bella?"

"Oh my god, you are such a cheeseball, you remind me of my brothers," I snicker as I take his arm and allow him to pull me towards the building.

"Sir Cheeseball at your service milady," he proclaims in a horridly bad fake British accent, "Just remind me to stay away when you want to open a door."

Almost on cue, we reach our class. "I'll leave this one to you then Sir."

He gives an over the top bow before opening the door and waving me in. The teacher, who looks eerily like a mountain man to me, stops his lecture and gawks at us as we enter. "And who might you be?" he booms, irritation oozing from him.

"Mr. Fredricks, this is Bella Swan, one of the new students," Jake steps in front of me, thankfully blocking me from the other man's death glare, "I smacked my nose off of a door and gave myself a bloody nose. She stopped to help me."

A few seconds tick by before Mr. Fredricks seems to accept the boy's explanation. "Fine, grab a book and take a seat. Don't expect such leniency next time."

"Yes sir," we simultaneously respond before getting our books and finding someplace to sit. For the second time in as many hours, I find myself sitting in the back of the room next to someone who hasn't been hostile to me. Maybe things won't be so bad, if this is any indication.

For as gruff as the teacher is, I have a hard time paying attention to his monotone and am soon doodling in my notebook, wondering what Gavin and Sue are doing right now. A few seconds later, my phone buzzes again and flashes of strangling Emmett go through my mind until I see it's a message from Sue.

As covertly as I can, I flip the device open and am greeted with a pictures of Gavin and Sue standing at the battlements of his fort, waving at the camera. Fighting back tears brought on by the terrible ache of missing my baby, I sent a message back, thanking Sue for the picture and sending my love.

I don't know how I'm going to make it through the day without my little boy.

**Okay, I had to end it there or it was going to become obscenely long. Sorry!**


	3. First Day Pt 2

**Don't own anything but the plot**

**And now on with the show**

"What's got you down all of a sudden?" Jake prods right after Mr. Fredricks tells us that it's time to pack up.

"Nothing, just trying to adjust to everything," I hedge, unwilling to divulge the existence of my precious child to a complete stranger and ruin any chances I might have of being looked at as a normal student on the first day.

He doesn't buy my excuse, but wisely chooses not to push the matter, "If you say so, but if you need someone to talk to, you know, a person you can trust, or just a shoulder to cry on, I'd be glad to help."

"Noted," I slide out of the uncomfortable chair and stretch out before picking up my bag.

As we file out into the corridor, he lays a hand on my shoulder, "Hey, I wanted to ask you earlier if you would like to eat lunch with me and my friends today?"

My stomach drops at the question, "I would, but I already promised Alice Brandon that I'd sit with her today. Maybe tomorrow?"

His face splits into a wide grin, "No need. Alice is like a little sister to me so she'll be sitting with me and the rest of our little group. By the way, your next class is that way. See you later Bella."

"Yeah, see ya," I hitch my bag higher up on my shoulder and push my way through the gaggle of kids in the direction Jake pointed, careful not to trip and fall on my face or an unsuspecting freshman in the process.

According to the numbers over the doors, I'm two away from my destination when I'm suddenly picked up from behind and nearly smothered by my older brother. "Emmett! Put me down!" I squeal and attempt to wiggle free, but he simply laughs and tosses me over his shoulder, "No way Bells! We've all finally got a class together!"

I pause in my pounding of his shoulders and back, "Seth too?" I don't even care how pathetic I sound as I ask.

"Seth too sweetie," he confesses and I can hear his own delight mixed into the tenor of his voice.

By the time we find our youngest sibling, I'm resigned to the fact that I will be hanging off of my bear of a brother until he's either yelled at or we enter the classroom. Stupid, overprotective big brother, forever trying to make up for the one time he believes he failed me.

"How's it hanging sis?" Seth chortles, easily falling into step with Emmett's long strides.

"You think you're so funny. Kiss my pasty white ass," I growl in return after failing miserably to hit him with my bag.

"Oh! Speaking of asses, mine has one hell of an itch on the right cheek. Scratch it for me Cinderbella?" I swear, I'm going to kill him for this.

I snarl as we cross the threshold into our class. Finally he gets the message and sits me back on my feet. I immediately punch him in the stomach, causing him to double over as the wind is knocked out of him. "I hope you get jock itch Emmett," I spit at hims as I stalk away, "Oh, and I'm so telling mom about this little stunt when we get home. Better yet, I might let the location of your porn stash accidentally slip."

Emmett visibly pales, "You wouldn't dare. I'm a man and I have needs Bella! That's the only way I get to feed them!"

"Bet your ass I would," I flop down into an open seat, "You see, there's this little thing called payback, brother mine, and you should have thought of it before tossing me around like a potato sack."

"You are one evil bitch when you want to be," Seth smirks appreciatively as he takes the seat in front of me, "Mom and Lee-Lee would be proud."

"Kiss ass," Emmett drops into the desk behind me, openly shifting his scowl from me to our brother and back.

Okay, maybe having class with both of my brothers wasn't the best idea the school faculty could have thought up. By the time the bell rings, I think that the Spanish teacher, a crazy old troll that probably shouldn't have been fed after midnight, is close to throwing away her teaching certificate and moving back to whatever bridge she was born under.

"So, what are doing for lunch? I'm starving!" brother bear exclaims as we wander into the cafeteria.

"You're always starving," I quip, earning myself another glare, "And a couple of people I met in class asked us to sit with them today, do you guys mind?"

"Not at all sis," Seth answers before Emmett can, "It's really cool that you've found other people to talk to besides us."

I shrug and look around the room for Alice or Jake. I spot the diminutive young woman talking animatedly with a curvy blond. "There's Alice," I point her out to my brothers.

"Hey, I know her!" Seth gasps, then turns a brilliant shade of red. Oh no.

"Are you crushing on the hyperactive pixie little brother?" I taunt in a low voice so Emmett won't overhear.

I didn't think it was possible, but his blush deepens further as he give a minute nod. "Please don't tell Emmett, he'll never let it go," he begs.

"I've got your back Seth," I assure him, then huff as Emmett informs the woman at the counter that he's paying for all three of us. I have serious reservations about him having enough cash with everything he has stacked onto his tray but, to my surprise, he ends up getting change back. It's only a mere ten cents, but that's saying something between the two boys lunches.

Halfway across the food court, Alice's suddenly appears over the crowd of students. "Bella, Seth, over here!" she lilts, waving her hands frantically like a demented bird or something.

Fifteen feet from the cluster of tables that have been shoved together, I finally spot the chair that she is perched upon. "Alice, you're going to kill yourself doing stupid shit like that!" I set my salad and bottle of water on the table and sit down beside her, "What the hell goes on in that twisted brain of yours?"

"You sound like my mom Bella, I was perfectly fine the entire time," she snarks, but sits down to alleviate my concern, "I'm much more graceful than I look."

Oops. "Try growing up with these heathens and you'd understand why I freaked," I rush to cover my faux pas, "And if you hear even half of some of the crazy stuff they've pulled, you'd have gray hair."

"No joke?" she turns her gaze to Seth, "Tell me!" Those two would be perfect for each other.

He silently begs me to save him, but I just smirk and shrug a shoulder before giving my food my undivided attention. I only manage a half dozen bites when my phone's alarm goes off. It's time to call Gavin! "Erm," I elbow Emmett, who is staring at the blond girl, otherwise known as Rosalie Hale, "I have to make a call. If you need me, save yourself, I'll be hiding in the truck."

He gives me an absent nod, his eyes never wavering, "Phone call. Truck. Save self. Got it."

I grab my bag and tray, stopping only to dump it before rushing out to the parking lot. Right as the pick up comes into my view, I hit speed dial and wait for Sue to answer.

"Mommy!" an angelic voice answers after two rings, "Miss you mommy! Come home!"

"Oh baby, I wish I could, but school's not over yet," I answer, trying to keep my tone steady as to not betray the tears the have welled up at his pleading.

"Want to go night night wit you," Gaving whines, "I seepy mommy, want you to come home..." trails off and I can hear his sobbing through the receiver. That's it. I can't have him crying like that.

"Sorry about that hun," Sue says after she takes back the phone, "He's worn himself out but refuses to take a nap without you to lay down with him. You know funny he is about napping sweetie, the boy hates missing a single thing."

"That's fine," I tell her, making up my mind and reaching for my keys, "I'll just tell the nurse that I don't feel well and come right home. I'm so sorry about all of this, I didn't know he was going to be this difficult. Maybe this wasn't a---"

"Don't you dare step foot away from that school Bella," my adopted mother snaps angrily, cutting me off, "You still need to get an education and this is something Gavin to get acclimated to either way sweetheart. He will be three years old on Halloween and will be starting preschool next year, this is probably the best time for him to learn that just because you're not here for a few hours, it's doesn't mean that you're never coming back."

I take a shuddering breath and try to calm down, "I know. I just can't handle hearing him sound so lost and heartbroken. He was begging me mom. He's not the only one who has to get used to this, I guess, because I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it the rest of the day without seeing him."

"It will get easier with time kiddo," her husky voice soothes my frazzled nerves, "I remember how hard it was to leave Seth and Leah, and later, you and Emmett, to go to work. It will always hurt to be separated from your son, but you learn how to shoulder it better, I promise."

"It doesn't feel like it," I qualify in a glum tone, "When he started crying, it was like this big gaping hole was punched in my chest. Why does everything have to be so hard?"

"Because that's how life works, I'm sad to say," Sue responds, "Hey, Gavin wants to talk to you again, will you be alright?"

"I have to be," I sigh and wait as she hands him the phone once more. "Hey baby, all better now?"

"Gamma says I haf to be a big boy for yous and make you pwoud of me," he answers, clearly avoiding the question, "When you coming home?"

"I'm always proud of you Gavin, never forget that. Now, I will be home in a few hours bud," I check the clock on the dashboard," It's twelve fifteen now..so I'll be home in about three and a half hours. You can help me with my homework and then we'll make dinner for everybody, sound good?"

"Yep!" he chirps, "Wuv you mommy! Bye now!" Without any further warning, the call disconnects.

Another tear cascades down my face as I pull the phone away to stare at it, "I love you too baby, with all my heart."

With no desire to surround myself with the immature ramblings of the student body or face the worried faces of my brothers, I reach into my backpack and pull out a battered copy of my current favorite book then settle in to pick up where I left off a few days ago.

I completely lose track of time until something bumps the back of my truck. I check in the rear view mirror and notice a mop of bronze hair just as the cab bounces again. "Who the fuck is messing with my truck?" I growl as I quietly open the door and slip out.

I can hear whoever it is murmuring softly as I draw nearer. On a closer inspection, the guy is gorgeous, and at this moment, oblivious to the world around him. Then it dawns on me what the bumping was. Oh hell no, he is not getting a blow job behind my truck! I forgo stealth now, standing straight and storming around the vehicle.

"What in the fuck are you doing to my truck?! Oh shit!" I throw my hands over my face at the sight before me and turn my back to them, "Jake, what are you doing and who's the coppertop?!"

"Bella? Oh fuck, this is your truck?" he asks, and I can hear the hurried refastening and positioning of clothing, "I'm so sorry! I didn't want you to meet Edward this way!"

"You mean with his dick in your mouth or with the near fornication on the back of my truck?" I grind out and smother the urge to jump out of my skin when a warm hand pulls mine back to reveal Jake, his expression contrite.

"Both. Now I'm going to pretend none of this just happened or I'm going to die of embarrassment. Bella, this is my boyfriend Edward Cullen," he hastens to explain, his free hand reaching out to the other guy and snaking it around his waist, "You probably would have met him earlier, but he had a doctor's appointment today and didn't come in until lunch."

"Oh my god Jake, you're gay?" I squeak out in disbelief, "You honestly don't seem the type!"

"And what is the 'type'?" Edward all but snarls, his vivid green eyes flaring defensively, "The person in the room running around with fairy wings while drinking Appletini's and listening to Cher?"

"That's not what I meant," I fire back, trying to force down my annoyance, "It's just that, um, it seemed like Jake was, erm, flirting with me this morning after I hit him with the door."

Almost immediately, Edward bursts into laughter and swats his boyfriend, "You led the poor girl on Jacob Black? No wonder she's confused!" His cackling dies down and he lays a hand on my cheek, "I must apologize for that dear, it's just that Jake always teases me about how some of the girls here react to me and it's so damn funny to see it happen to him for a change."

"So why were you two getting it on behind my truck? I'm sure that there were better places to do that." I'm still a little peeved about the defilement of my vehicle.

"There wasn't enough room in Edward's car," Jake points to the R8 parked next to me, "And we didn't want to go anywhere off campus and take the chance of not making it back to class on time."

"You two just volunteered to wash and disinfect it then," I surmise, my stormy expression daring either of them to argue.

"Hey, where the hell have you two been? Holy shit, since when did you get into girls?" a new masculine voice calls out, a southern accent coloring the sound in a most wonderful way.

"I'm not part of a threesome asshole. I don't know who the hell you---" I lose my train of thought as I spin around and come face to face with a striking young man with electric blue eyes and a shoulder length mop of wavy blonde hair.

"Bella, this is Jasper Whitlock, he's Rosalie's cousin," Edward's velvet voice diffuses the tension, "He moved in with her over the summer so he's new here as well. Jazz, meet Bella Swan, the sister Emmett was babbling about in first period. You know, the one you texted me over so you didn't knock him out to shut him up?"

His lush lips curl into a lazy smile as he clasps my hand in one of his own that is criss-crossed with faint scars. "It's always a pleasure to meet a woman as beautiful as you," he drawls before kissing my knuckles.

Oh hell, I think I need to change my panties. His smirk drops on one side and I remember that I haven't answered him yet. He's going to think I'm brain damaged or something. Say something before he gives up and writes you off as a complete buffoon Swan!

"Y-you too," I stammer but don't get the chance to make a bigger fool of myself as my brothers, along with Alice and Rosalie, decide to appear.

"Hells Bells, I thought you'd run off!" Emmett booms, dropping one massive arm over my shoulder protectively, "I see you've met Eddie and the Jazzman," he leans in close and lowers his voice, "Mom sent a text that I should check on you. We've been looking everywhere and I was starting to get worried. You okay?"

"I'm fine," I mumble for what seems to be the hundredth time that day while forcing my eyes off of the delicious looking southern boy walking in front of me and focusing them on the pavement, "I was talking to Jake and Edward when Jasper showed up a minute before you did."

"Yeah, well the bell is going to ring any minute now, so get your shit and let's get moving," he answers, dropping his arm and patting my back, "Don't want to make a bad impression by being late on the first day and all that."

I shuffle back to the cab and retrieve my stuff before locking it up and re-setting the alarm. I catch up with the group only to find Seth chatting to Alice and Emmett rattling off another very bad joke to Rosalie. Jake and Edward are explaining something to Jasper, so I stay at the rear, fighting and losing the battle to not gawk at Jasper some more as we head to our various destinations.

"Where are you heading?" Jake's inquiry pulls me out of my not so chaste thoughts.

I whip out my schedule and scan it, "Um, building three."

"Me too," Edward and Jasper state at the same time. "What class?" Edward continues alone.

I make a face upon reading the name of the course. " AP Biology. Yippee."

"I have that, so I'll show you," he answers with a lopsided smile.

I swear I see Jasper throw Edward a dirty look before shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away, "I've got Calculus. I think it's next door to the lab. Mind if I tag along?"

"Please do," I blurt out and instantly feel my cheeks heat up, "I mean, if you want to, it's okay with me. Edward?"

"I don't see why not," he answers, not even attempting to hide his amusement over the situation.

The three of us break off from the pack and make our way to the building, where we learn that Jasper's class is directly across the hall from the biology room. I internally do the fat chick happy dance when he gives me another kiss on the hand and a bright smile before disappearing through the doorway.

"If I wasn't already madly in love with Jake, I would definitely take a chance and see how much it would take to make that beautiful boy at least bi," Edward deadpans as we pick up our books and find a table at the back of the room, "There is just something about that accent that makes you want to lick him like a lollipop, right Bella?"

Oh, most definitely.

"Thought so," he chortles and I want to crawl under the desk.

"Shit, I said that out loud didn't I?" Please say no.

"You sure did," he pats my hands, "Your secret is safe with me Bella, as long as you don't tell Jake that I said it in the first place. He can get a little jealous sometimes."

"Deal," I agree without hesitation, "Can I ask you a question about Jasper?"

He nods, but his features become blank.

I chew on my bottom lip for a moment, debating whether the intrusion is worth it or not, then decide to push on, "What's up with all of the scars? Was he in an accident?"

He lets out a heavy sigh and slowly shakes his head, "I was afraid that you were going to ask that. I'm truly sorry, but it's not my story to tell. If you want to know the whole story, ask him, but I will tell you that his life was greatly improved when he moved in with Rosalie, even if her parents are only home twice a year."

The teacher, Mr. Banner, calls everyone to order a few minutes later and neither of us have much of a chance to talk for the rest of the hour. When the bells rings, I'm so eager to see Jasper again that I trip and would have face planted in front of everyone if Edward hadn't caught me at the last second.

"In a hurry to see someone dear?" he teases before linking my arm through his and guiding me out into the hall so fast that I don't have time to answer.

In a flash, I find Jasper in the crowd, looking like a scarred angel amongst the rabble. My stomach does a flip when his azure orbs meet mine and I see that smile appear again.

"Methinks that you are not the only one struck by infatuation dear," Edward murmurs to me as Jasper makes his way to us.

"Heya," the object of my fascination drawls once we're grouped together again.

"Hey," I lamely answer, then a thought comes to mind, "What do you have next?"

"I've got a free period, then History. What about you? And Edward?" Well there goes that idea.

"Auto Mechanics with Jake and Rose, then a free, so I'm heading out with Jake after class is over," Edward replies, then nudges my arm.

"Oh, um, I have Home Economics then Creative Writing," I qualify sadly. Not one frikkin class with Jasper. Oh well, it's probably for the best. Not many high school guys are interested in being friends with a teen mom, let alone anything more.

"That's too bad," he declares, making me look up at him, "I would have liked a chance to talk to you, get to know you a little better I mean. Maybe we should all get together as a group this weekend and something?"

My thoughts zone in on Gavin and any hope I had of getting to spend time with Jasper dies in that moment, "Sorry, I can't. We just moved into our house two weeks ago and I still have a lot of stuff to unpack. Some other time though, if you want."

"Of course we want, you and your brothers fit right in with us lunatics," Edward nods his head towards the doors leading outside, "This is is where I get off kiddies, see you guys tomorrow?"

Jasper and I both nod yes and give him a wave as he exits. We stand side by side awkwardly for a moment until Jasper sighs, "Well, I'd better go too. It was nice meeting you Bella. If it's not too presumptuous of me, could I maybe get your number and call you sometime? I really haven't talked to many people outside of Ali, Rose, and the boys and I wasn't lying when I said I'd like to get to know you better."

Without speaking, because I seriously don't think I could right now, I reach for his phone, which he readily hands over, and type my number in. When I hand it back, he lifts it up and quickly snaps a picture of me, "So I can remember who's number it is," he explains and I give a red faced but understanding nod, "See you tomorrow Bella."

"Later," I croak just as the warning bell sounds, making me jump and break into a run to get to my next class.

I'm glad to find that I'm not the only person running behind when I end up filing in with two other students. The kind old woman overseeing the class gives us a smile and goes back to introducing herself. Ten minutes afterwords, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to see that I have a text from Jasper with his number accompanying the message.

_Now you have my number too, in case you need help with homework or to just to bullshit -J_

I type out a sincere thank you before stuffing the thing back into my pocket. Problem is, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to pay attention to anything around me for the rest of the day. Even after class lets out for the day, I find myself thinking about Jasper and the way I end up feeling around him.

Oh hell, what is going on with me?

**Well, now we've met everyone. I know some of you won't be happy about the characters, but it's my story and I'm writing what I want dammit! Lol ;-)**


	4. Finding My Way

**There are no words to describe how glad I am that this story has been so well received. Thank you so much for reading and an Emmett worthy hug goes out to those who were kind enough to leave reviews!**

_ Thump, thump, thump, thump_ "Mommy!"Gavin squeals and hurls his tiny form at me, "You're home finawy!"

I catch him and pull him in for a hug, "Hi baby. I missed you so much today."

"Missed you too," he mumbles into my neck as I stand up and let my brothers enter the house.

"Was you good for Gamma?" I ask just dad strolls out of the kitchen, nodding an affirmative at my question.

"Yes I was good," my little boy declares, his crystal blue orbs swimming with sincerity, "Gwampa and Gamma tooked me for ice cweam cuz I was so good!"

"That's awesome little man," I admit with a smile of my own and muss his hair playfully, "Now, why don't you let me get my shoes off and you can help me do my homework. When we're done, me and you are making chicken stir fry, that is, if you still want to help?"

He nods his little head furiously, "I still wanna help!"

I plant another kiss on his forehead then set him down and give him a playful swat on his bottom, "Okay sweetie. Now go get your paper and crayons out while I get my school work out."

"Otay Mommy!" he shouts and speeds through the house, his shouts of victory echoing through the place.

"Heard you had a bit of trouble today," my father muses in a low voice as I strip my feet bare and drop my hoodie down the laundry chute, "Care to talk about it?"

I rub the back of my neck and sigh wearily, "It was just hard to hear him cry dad. I felt like I was a bad mother because I was stuck at school and couldn't help my baby when he needed me," I raise a hand to halt him when he opens his mouth to answer, "Yeah, I know the therapist said that I needed to work on trusting people with not only Gavin, but myself, and I'm trying dad, but just because I struggle sometimes, it doesn't automatically mean that I need to go back to seeing a shrink every week."

Charlie's mustache twitches a few times, then follows his mouth upwards into a half smile, "You are one tough girl Bells and I'm very proud of you. Don't ever doubt that you are a good mother, because if Renee had even been one tenth of the mom that you are....."

"Thank Sue," I tell him honestly, "She taught me what it's like to be a real mother."

"I do, every damn day pumpkin," he replies, then runs a hand over my now loose hair, "Now, homework, then food kid, because I'm drooling over the thought of your stir fry and if I'm that bad, your brothers are on the verge of eating the wallpaper."

Mom must have heard his little quip, because her low, melodic laughter rings out from the kitchen. "Oh no!" she calls out in feigned horror, "Not the wallpaper again! Bella, hurry up and get your homework done!"

"Hey! We're not that bad!" my brother's counter from the living room. "Yet!" Seth adds, then yelps as Emmett hits him with a pillow, I'm guessing.

"Yes you are! Frikkin Neanderthals, I swaer!" I chuckle and drag my bag upstairs to my room, where Gavin is no doubt bouncing off the walls after being made to wait so long.

The struggles of the day melt as I make it to the third floor of the house, where Gavin and my rooms reside. I wanted the top floor because it's the quietest part of the house. That, and every window gives a magnificent view of the forest and lake surrounding our property. It brings me a peace that I never felt in any of the places we had lived before. Not Washington or Montana, not Ohio, and certainly not in Virginia, where I was assaulted, ever made me feel this comfortable. I've read that some people that live in the shadow of the mountain sometimes get apprehensive because it makes them feel so small and insignificant. I can help but feel the opposite. The serenity that Mount Washington gives me also gives me something else. It reminds me that even though there are ugly parts to the world, it can still be a beautiful and good place.

"Mommy, huwwy up, I'm waiting!" my son's indignant tone warns me that he's reached the end of his patience.

"Hold your horses kidzilla, I'm here," I slip through the doorway to find my son propped up in the middle of my king sized bed like a royal prince, his notebooks and coloring utensils scattered all around him.

"I can't hold horkies, I'm too small," he retaliates with a pout as I drop my gear at the foot of the bed and lay down just outside of his paper perimeter.

"Okay, ponies then," I correct myself with a snicker, "What are you working on?"

"Making food for Emmy and Sef so dey don't eat Gamma's wallpaper," his tone is dead serious as he toils, his golden eyebrows furrowed with concentration and that bottom lip safely tucked between his teeth.

"I'm sure they will love it," I comment and reach for my own work, "I, on the other hand, have math and english to do, which is nowhere near as fun as making food for your uncles."

"Not what Gwampa says," the child mutters and I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh.

"You're grandpa is a smart man," I admit before tackling the dreaded homework monster.

The rest of the evening goes fairly quietly, except for when Seth and Emmett decide that they want to play with Gavin and his fort after dinner. It never fails that things that can go wrong, will go wrong, when those two get it in their heads that they can do something. I thought Sue was going to wet her panting from laughing so hard when we had to use cooking oil to get Emmett unstuck from one of the tiny portals leading in and out of the wooden structure. Yes, we all made sure to take pictures of that one.

Once the evening winds down, I give Gavin his bath and get him into bed. On the advie of his pediatrician, I lay with him for only ten minutes before sliding out of his grasp and turning on a cd of various classical music to soothe him. With on last kiss to his pale cheek, I bid my reason for living goodnight and pad over to my own room.

It's begun to rain, again, but I'm not tired enough to sleep, so after I shower and put on my comfy tee shirt and flannel pajama pants, I grab my black cashmere throw blanket, my book, and my phone so I can keep track of the time, and make my way out onto the covered balcony that faces the lake behind our house.

The night air is refreshingly cool and I bask in the subtle rhythm of the rain hitting the roof for a few moments, then curl up one of the uncommonly comfortable chairs. I flip my phone open to see what time it is and notice that I have one new text message. Holy hell, it's from Alice.

_B- Just wanted you to know that I stole your number from Jasper's phone, so don't yell at him. Want to ask you a question. Text me back? A_

Hmm, what could she want this time of night?

_A- Don't know what I can help you with, but ask away B_

I set the phone on the table, certain that I won't be getting an answer until morning, and open my book. Two pages later, it buzzes. That was fast.

_Would you give me Seth's cell number? We were supposed to trade numbers at lunch but forgot_

Oh no. I've been through this before. There is no way in hell that I'm giving out my brothers phone numbers out to anyone until I talk to them first.

_I'll ask him in the morning. Don't like giving numbers out without their permission. Hope you understand._

Her answer comes back just as quickly at before.

_ Not at all. No problem. I'll just get it off of him in the am. Nite!_

In that moment, I find myself beginning to like Alice Brandon, even if someone needs to wean her off of the Redbull.

_Night Alice. Sweet Sleep._

Satisfied with the outcome, I drop the cell and reach for my book again, eager to finish the chapter I'm on before I go to sleep.

Not five minutes later, the damn phone alerts me to another new message. "Geez, don't these people believe in decent bed times?" I grumble while opening it.

_Bella- Sorry about Alice stealing your number, she snooped while I was in the shower. I'm staying at her and Edward's tonight so Rose and her boyfriend could time alone. Forgive me please?_

What does a girl say to that? Like it isn't obvious. _Nothing to forgive. Beginning to think Alice is so cute and sweet because she's actually the devil incarnate lol._

Like an imbecile, I find myself hunched over my phone while waiting for his reply. He doesn't make me wait long, thank goodness.

_I agree with that description. I still want to make it up to you though. Want me to bring coffee or something in the morning to make it up to you?_

After deliberating on how Seth and Emmett might overreact to a gesture as benign as this, I type out my answer. _Better not, brothers might think that you're trying to steal my virtue via the old coffee trick._

His response is comical. _They really that bad?_

You have no idea. _Worse. You think that's scary cowboy? Just imagine if you'd have wanted to give me a muffin as well...We're talking Armageddon on that one. Not sure if your body would ever be found._

It takes longer for my phone to beep this time, but when it does, it makes my heart skip a few beats. _I can understand why they are so protective you. Too many assholes out there who would try to take advantage of such a beautiful woman._

Oh Jasper, if you only knew how right you are.

The thought makes me stop dead. I've never wanted people to know what happened to me that night. Besides even if, by some far flung miracle, he was actually interested in me that way, there is no doubt in my mind that he would turn tail and run for the hills if he found out how sullied I truly am. No, it's best to keep with the routine. Be nice but keep your distance.

_You're tired and it's obviously made you delusional so go to bed and get some sleep. Fear not though, I'll revert back to being plain old me by morning. Night Jasper _There that should do it.

Thirty seconds later, there's another beep.

_I'm not delusional Bella, you could never be plain in my eyes, but I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that for the time being. Sweet dreams Bella._

After closing my phone and staring out into space for a bit, remembering Jasper's words, I give up on reading and decide to go to bed. As I cover up, I believe that it's going to be forever before I go to sleep. Thankfully, I'm wrong. I'm out as soon as my head hits the pillow.

My alarm actually awakens me for once, instead of a bouncing, bubbly baby boy for once. Strange. After using the facilities, I slink across the attic and peer into Gavin's room. He is still sound asleep, his stuffed wolf still being loosely held in his arms.

Not wanting to wake him, I silently retreat after kissing his forehead and go back to my room to get ready for the day. This morning's ensemble consists of a black mesh long sleeved shirt under one of Emmett's old football jerseys that has SWAN 36 on the back, a pair of black boot cut style jeans, and broken in motorcycle boots that used to belong to Seth once upon a time before his feet transformed into barges. I get a little girlie with my hair though, plaiting in a few thin braids amongst the curls and clipping a few multicolored rhinestones that Gavin had gotten me for my back to school present to them. A set of, once again black, fingerless gloves that reach up to mid forearm and a few quick swipes of black eyeliner completes my efforts to cover my scarred, bloated body and not look like I'm dressing for midwinter.

After snatching my well worn military style half trench and backpack, I head down to the kitchen for a cup of java, then maybe something to eat before taking my meds. If the mobile garbage disposals I call my darling brothers have left anything edible in the kitchen, that is.

"Wow, looking nice today sis," Seth appraises as he shoves a mug in may face, "Does this have anything to with a certain blonde haired Texan we met yesterday?"

I give him the middle finger and take my place at the breakfast bar, "It has to do with me. I'm trying to at least make an effort with how I look when I go out in public, just like the shrink told me to. I guess that means you won't get to kill anyone for talking to me today after all. Sorry little brother."

"Dammit Bella, you take away all our fun," Emmett pouts, dropping his massive body onto the stool beside me, "I had the perfect way to dispose of the body too. I was going to put it through the wood chipper and shoot it out into the lake."

"Didn't they do something like that in a movie? Fargo, wasn't it?" I inquire after choking down my daily pills, "It doesn't count if it's been in a movie Em, you know that."

"What about putting them in a barrel of acid?" he offers, his expression hopeful.

Seth shakes his head, "Nope. They did that on NCIS. I think you're starting to slip Emmy. I-"

"That's enough demon spawn," Charlie mutters, shuffling into the room and making a bee line towards the coffee pot, "Don't you have class today, or was that my imagination?"

We know a reprimand when we hear one, so we proceed with the song and dance of gathering our stuff and walking out to our vehicles.

"I can't wait till March when I can start driving myself to school," Seth whines while getting into the truck next to me, "Do you think mom and dad will let me get a Supra?"

I burst into laughter and have to hit the brakes to avoid colliding with the back of Emmett's jeep, "You'll be lucky if they don't make you drive a Volvo if you ask for a Supra Seth. Try something more sensible at first, then move up to the really dangerous cars."

"Why?" he pushes after a couple minutes of silence.

"Because by that time they'll think you're too experienced to kill yourself by accident and too mature to kill yourself on purpose," I deadpan, seeing the school come into view. "By the way, Alice is most likely going to ask you for your number. She texted me last night and said that you were supposed to exchange them but both of you forgot. I told her that I couldn't give it to her without talking to you about it first."

"That's cool," he waves his hand nonchalantly, "I did forget, with the clusterfuck at lunch yesterday and everything." He turns to look at me, "So....what do you think of her?"

I shrug, "Other than the fact that she is really freaking hyper and I feel like I could break her with a look, she seems pretty nice to me. You should go for it and see what happens, but know that I will fuck her up if she hurts you."

"Yeah, I know sis," he takes my hand and squeezes it gently, "You always look out for me. Thank you."

"Never a problem hun. Besides, it's in the big sister handbook," I joke, breaking the serious atmosphere that had begun falling over us.

We fall into an easy silence as we reach the student lot and seek out an open space. By pure accident, Seth spots Jake and Jasper standing in a slot next to two parked motorcycles and they're waving us to them. I happily oblige and am careful not to squish anybody as I guide the truck in and kill the engine.

"Oh my god, you are one kick ass chick!" Jake crows and pulls me into a hug after I hop down.

"Jebus Jake, let the girl breathe," Jasper tugs the Indian's arms from around me and envelops me in an embrace of his own, "Morning Bella. Have a good night?" his voice is low and husky, making my insides tremble.

Holy hell he smells good too. Like warm leather, cloves, and something that makes me think of the way the forest smells after it rains. His blue orbs meet mine, amusement swirling in them. Oh crap, you still haven't answered him! I give a short nod, "Yes I did. You?"

He bobs his head once as he releases me from his hold, "Not too bad. I'm having a much better morning though."

I can't help but blush at his words despite the little voice inside screaming that his good morning has nothing to do with me.

"Isabella my love!" a cheerful velvet voice distracts me and I turn to see Edward sauntering up, holding two trays of styrofoam cups, "Would you like a coffee? There's enough for everyone."

I glance over to Jasper, who looks a little too innocent. I raise an eyebrow in question and he answers with a wink. Cheeky bastard. He avoided dismemberment by having one of the gay guys offer me coffee. I smile at his ingenious maneuver. Well played cowboy, well played indeed.

Unfortunately our little impromptu party is broken up by a few idiot underclassmen who obviously managed to acquire a driver's license over the summer, by the sounds of their squealing tires and 'I'm so cool' attitudes. Assholes.

I'm a bit chagrined when Jake and Edward take it upon themselves to loop my arms through their own and escort me inside, leaving Jasper to walking behind us. I don't get a chance to tell him or anyone else goodbye as they guys lead me right to my first period.

**Another split chapter. I know, I'm sorry.**


	5. Lunch Time Revelations

**I keep breaking these up so things don't run too long.**

**Still don't own.**

"How did you know this was where I had to go?" I ask as we reach the door. Emmett better not have told them my entire schedule in a not so subtle attempt to get them to aid in my 'protection'.

"Edward has this class first as well sweet cheeks," Jacob explains with a Cheshire cat worthy grin, "Alice would have come with us too, but she had to go to her locker real quick." He leans down and lays a peck on my cheek before kissing Edward passionately. "See you kids later," he finally chuckles, walking away as Edward pants beside me.

"Are you okay?" I tug on his arm, prompting the boy to follow me into the room.

Suddenly Edward shakes his head and stomps his foot petulantly, "He does that to me on purpose! How am I supposed to pay attention in class now?"

I roll my eyes and push him into his seat, "Calm down, Oh Overdramatic One. It's obvious why he kisses you like that before leaving. He loves you, you silly boy."

The smile that appears on his pale face is almost as blinding as the amorous glow of his emerald eyes. "I love him too. More than my own life."

"Then quit bitching and be grateful that he wants to kiss you like that," I snark while watching Alice skip, yes she literally skips, over and gracefully folds herself into the yet untaken seat on my right.

Having heard the end of my little rant, she rolls her eyes, "What's my brother complaining about now? Jake not being in every class with him like last year?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Bella and I were having a chat about something that Jake did," Edward snaps haughtily, "Now kindly shut your yap."

The look on her face tells me that she has no intention of listening, so when she grabs my hand, I'm not surprised. "Careful Bella. You let him start talking to you about Jacob, there's no telling how long it will be before he either passes out from exhaustion or you feign death to get him to shut up."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," he counters, "Do I need to remind you of how you were babbling nonstop about S--" He's cut off as his sister lunges at him and covers his mouth with her hands,

"Don't you dare say it Edward Anthony Cullen, or I will pour every single bottle of nail polish I own onto your precious piano," the tiny woman threatens, her fierce expression terrifying enough to force a shiver up my spine.

Fortunately for Edward, Ms. White bounds into the room and calls the class to order before things get out of hand. "Alice, would you please stop trying to strangle your brother in my class, it would look bad on my resume if you finally succeeded in killing him, on my watch no less," the woman asks as if she was discussing the weather.

"Spoilsport," Alice retorts, causing both the teacher and some of the class to laugh out loud, but allows her hands to fall from her brother's mouth and sits down in her seat.

The rest of class is uneventful, as is second period because Jacob seems too distracted to hold a conversation. Edward had turned the tables on the young Indian before jogging off to his own second period class.

When the bell rings, Jake is out of his seat and out the door before I can even grab my bag. I stroll out into the hall to find Seth and Emmett leaning against a locker, with matching innocent looks on their faces. This can't be good.

I sigh and walk over. "You two are looking too damn innocent for it to be true. Let whoever you've got stuffed in the locker out boys."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean baby Bells," Emmett tries and fails to twist his features into a blank mask, too bad the left side of his mouth keeps trying to twitch up into a smirk.

"I mean it Em," I attempt to push him out of the way, but Seth grabs me, "Bella, you don't understand. If you had heard what the jerk said, you'd have helped."

I step back and give them a flat look, "Spill it then."

"Do I start with when he called Jake a damn dirty faggot or when he asked where the queers new whale of a girlfriend was?" my older brother asks, his tone steely.

It takes only a second of deliberation to make up my mind, "Screw it. Leave him in there then. Just because Jake is gay, it doesn't give anyone the right to call him such degrading names."

Seth groans and shakes his head in disbelief, "Bells, you do know that the girl he's talking shit about is you, right?"

"And?" I tug on their arms to spurn them into motion, "I already knew that I was the size of a whale, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who he was talking about Seth. But thanks for stating the obvious, you really know how to lift a girl's spirits."

"Dammit Bella, you have to stop with all of the self depreciating shit," Emmett warns, tucking me under his arm, "You are not a whale, by any means, so stop believing the words of idiots who think that screwing chicks who impersonate sticks is fun. Personally, I like a girl to have some meat on her bones, that way I'm not afraid that I'll break her when we-"

"That's way too much information brother bear," I smack his chest, actually making him flinch, "I don't want to know what you do with women whenever I'm not around."

"Hey! I've calmed down a lot since I quit playing football," he whines in self defense, "Not many girls want to bang a former football player. They usually only want the ones who currently play." His tone changes into a more somber sound towards the end of his little admission.

What the hell? This is more than just about getting a piece of ass. "Who is she Em? I'll kick her ass since mom and dad would skin you alive if you ever hit a girl." A light bulb goes off in my head. "It's Rosalie, isn't it? I'll end her if she hurt you."

He holds up his free hand, "Don't worry about it sis, it's no big deal. It was my fault actually. I misunderstood something, but now it's all worked out."

"What needed to be worked out?" I prod as Alice comes into view. She's waiting right outside of our classroom. "Alice, when did you end up in this class?"

"I transferred out of my typing class, it was boring. What happened?" she demands and the three of us shake our heads.

"Nothing, Emmett got turned down for a date," Seth covers quickly while taking her tiny hand in his, "Bella's trying to cheer him up."

"Who was it?" she asks, her tone suddenly sounding protective, "I'll hurt anyone who tries to hurt our Emmy-bear."

"No hun, you wouldn't," I confess with a pained expression, "It was Rosalie."

Alice's face drops into a grimace, "Oh shit. I knew there was a reason that bastard Royce showed up last night. He never comes home from college during the week."

Hmm, sounds like someone else I know. "Is he that protective of her?"

She snorts, "That's one word for it I guess. Possessive is the one I'd use though. She's not allowed to go anywhere or do anything without talking to him first and he has some of his friends still here at school watching her. I hate him so fucking badly and so does Edward, Jake and Jasper. There's something rotten about him, in spite of his perfect appearance. We'll talk more later." Her nod towards the teacher explains the sudden ending of the conversation.

By the time lunch rolls around, my head is trying to explode from all the questions and visions running around inside of it, so instead of following the others to eat, I explain that I need to call home and rush out to my truck to talk to my son.

"'Ello Bells," Charlie's gruff baritone answers, "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I'm on my lunch dad," I qualify, sinking into the bench seat with a relieved sigh, "What's my monster up to?"

"He's helping his grandmother make cookies," my dad chuckles, "You ought to see the kitchen. It looks like the Pillsbury Dough Boy blew up in there. Hold on a sec, I'll get him."

"Thanks dad," I murmur and soon hear the sweetest voice in the world. "Hi Mommy! Me and Gamma are making lots and lots of cookies!"

"Oh really? That's great baby! I can't wait to try some when I get home!" I answer cheerfully, the worries of my day melting away as I immerse myself for the next ten minutes in Gavin's explanation of how to make various kinds of cookies.

Tears once again spring forth when it's time to tell my baby boy goodbye, but I force myself to keep my voice happy as to not put a damper on his fun. After we hang up, I let my head fall back against the window and close my eyes. The minutes stretch out until I'm on the verge of falling asleep when a knock on the window startles me back to reality. I squirm around to see Jasper standing there, holding a bag of food and a carrier with two drinks in it.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he gives me a look of sincere regret, "Emmett and Seth said you hadn't eaten yet because you had an important phone call to make so I decided to play the knight in shining armor and bring you food. Mind if I join you in there?"

I wave him over to the passenger side and unlock the door. "You are just looking for a reason to have them to kill you, aren't you?" I snicker as he hands me the goods and climbs in.

"Not quite. They don't know I'm out here yet," he shrugs a shoulder, "It would be worth it though because I got to be the one who made you smile."

My phone suddenly beeps and I flip it open to see a picture of my son, covered in flour and who knows what else, sitting on the floor with a mixing bowl between his legs and stirring the contents with a wooden spoon.

"Wow, whoever that's from, they've made you light up like a christmas tree," Jasper surmises with a wry smile, "They're awfully lucky to have a girl like you."

Shit! He thinks it's from my boyfriend! "Um, it's not my boyfriend," I choke the words out, "I haven't had one of those since--since I got too busy to do the teenage mating dance."

"What, no one's caught your eye?" he gently teases, more relaxed now for some reason, "Though I can completely understand why the guys here aren't up to your standards."

"No, it's more the other way around actually," I openly admit, closing the phone and shoving it back into my pocket, "I don't really have much time for one anyways, with school and all."

"That's too bad," even his eyes appear glum, "I've heard that there is quite a line of guys trying to find out if you're single or not."

"You know, it's not nice to lie to people like that," I counter with a bitter smirk, "Someone just might think you're an asshole for it."

"Meh, everyone here already knows me as the scarred up asshole with the crazy mother who flipped out and tried to burn the house down around her, so that's no big deal," he replies jokingly, though his tone is anything but humorous as he pulls up one sleeve and holds his arm up for me to see, "These were my sixteenth birthday presents. Like them?"

Before I can think better of it, my fingers come in contact with his bare flesh. A slight tingling runs through my hand and up my arm, but I resist the urge to pull away. A swift glimpse of his face shows that he felt it as well.

"Scars don't bother me," I inform him while tracing one particularly long line of raised skin, "When you have so many yourself, you stop judging another person's flaws."

"That's why you cover yourself up, isn't it? Your scars? I can see them a little through your shirt," his whisper is so quiet that I almost miss it.

I give a solemn nod, not moving my gaze from the network of lines and patches of discolored skin, "Yes, but this isn't the time or the place to talk about it. I get---I get pretty fucking emotional when doing so."

His free hand cups my chin and raises it until my eyes meet his, there is no revulsion or disgust in them at all. "I won't push you Bella, even though I can see that your scars go so much deeper than your skin. But know this, you can talk to me about anything, I mean any damn thing you want, and I won't judge you. I just want to know you darlin', and I'm willing to wait until you trust me enough to share yourself with me."

"Thank you for understanding Jasper," I tell him sincerely, "But please remember that I'm usually the suffer in silence type."

"I do, but that won't change the fact that I will always be here for you when you want or need someone to talk to other than your crazy ass brothers," he replies and lays a hand over mine, "I don't care if you tell me that you're actually an evil witch who has three hundred demonic offspring helping you take over the world. Hell, I'd probably ask where I could help you with that. I would never do anything to hurt you Bella, and I'm determined to prove that to you."

"Bella!" Seth booms, startling us both as he hops onto the front bumper, "Is that Jasper in there with you?"

I throw open the door and step out onto the running board, "Yes Seth, Jasper is sitting in here with me. You and Em told him that I hadn't eaten and he was nice enough to bring me down some food, are you going to gut him for looking out for my well-being now?"

"Maybe," he ponders aloud until I throw my half empty soda cup at his head, forcing him to jump off of my truck to dodge it. "Hey! What was that for?!"

I've reached my shit limit for the day and something snaps inside. "You're being a dick!" I shout at him, launching my sandwich at him this time, "I'm allowed to talk to whoever the fuck I want Seth! Not everyone is out to hurt me!"

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I see Emmett running up, no doubt having heard our none too quiet exchange, "Why are you guys going batshit in the parking lot and Bella, why are you throwing perfectly good food at our brother?"

"It's my fault," Jasper announces after dropping down from the truck, "You guys told me that Bella here hadn't eaten and I took it upon myself to bring her something. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you guys, please don't be upset with her."

"You don't have to apologize to these overbearing ogres," I growl in his direction while watching the others gather to witness the debacle, "It's not like we sneaked off to boink like rabbits or some shit. We. Were. Talking. About. Our. Scars. Emmett."

"Oh," the massive guy actually squeaks, his expression turning shamed, "Well, erm, that changes things. Seth, grab your shit and let's go." He closes the distance between us, "You sure that you're okay with this B? Just say the word and we're gone."

I pat his chest and bob my head once, "I think I'm okay Em. I haven't really told him much, but he told me how he got his and....."

"Okay kid, you don't have to say anything more," he murmurs and kisses my forehead, "Me and Seth will be close if you need us. Love you baby girl."

"I love you too Emmy," I warp my arms around his neck and give him a squeeze before stepping back and holding my arms out to our little brother, "Please trust me Seth? I promise you'll be the first to know if I need help."

He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight for a few moments, "I'm sorry Bells. I just worry about someone else trying to hurt you. I can't lose you again."

"You won't," I vow as he relinquishes his hold, "Now, go play with Alice before someone asks her how she runs so fast and she falls on her face while trying to think of the answer."

"Sorry to interrupt, but the bell is going to ring any second now," Jake chimes in, his espresso pools flickering over me, concern swimming in them.

"Shit. Okay Jake, give me sec," I dash back to the pick up to get my bag before joining the group again.

My stomach begins fluttering when I end up with Jasper and Edward flanking me today as we walk to class. Not ten feet into our trek, Jasper swipes my bag from my shoulder and slings it on over his own. I give him a confused look, but he simply smiles and links my arm with his like Edward has done to my other one.

"So....," Jake grins impishly from beside Edward, "Does this mean we're going to have to share custody of the back of your truck now Belly?"

"What fucking planet did you come from?" I fire back, not missing a beat, "If you want alone time with my truck, you're going to have to start paying a fee so I can have it disinfected on a regular basis."

A hundred dollar bill suddenly blocks my sight of the hallway. "Is this enough for the week?" Edward's tone holds no trace of humor in it, "Or do you want more in case we scratch or dent something? I could pay half your insurance on it, if you would prefer that instead."

"Edward!" Jasper gasps and snatches the bill from in front of me, "You are such a fucking pervert! You're family has more than enough money, go buy you're own damn truck to bump uglies in!"

"Dad won't let me," the bronze haired boy confesses, "He caught us in the Yukon when we went camping over the summer and told us that we're not allowed to be together in a vehicle that roomy again until we graduate."

"Sounds like two boys I know have a car sex fetish," I surmise as we come to a halt outside of our room, "Maybe we can work something out though, because I feel so bad for you."

"Bella, I think I love you," Edward proclaims and gives me a hug, "We'll hash out the details after school, if you want."

"Annoy her later, lover boy, give the lovebirds a moment to themselves," Jake yanks his boyfriend out of my grasp, then winks at Jasper and I over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that was a bit awkward," Jasper muses after a few moments of silence and I turn to see his hands once again shoved into the pockets of his worn jeans.

"Yep," I agree, my focus dropping to the floor as I shuffle my feet.

"Can I call you tonight?" his question shocks me into near insensibility, "I want to finish our conversation from earlier, if you don't mind?"

I shake my head no, "I don't mind, but could you wait until after nine? That's when everything usually starts to quiet down around the house."

"Can do," oh my god, there's that smile again, "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Later," I promise and rush into the room as the warning bell goes off, my mind reeling with thoughts of Jasper Whitlock.

**Aww, awkward teenage romances. Gotta love them. Review, if you're so inclined, your thoughts are appreciated.**


	6. Out of the Mouths of Babes

**As always, thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read my crazy little fic. I was so worried about moving away from my usual stuff and trying my hand at this ooey gooey romance stuff.**

**No ownage on my behalf, though Gavin is loosely based off of my own monsters.**

I manage to evade the multitude of questions the boys throw at me about what seems to be developing between Jasper and me, but I can't avoid the looks or comments thrown my way when Jasper is not only waiting as we exit, he promptly announces that he is walking me to my next class in front of everyone.

"You don't have to do that," I mumble, when a blonde and a brunette stop and glare in reaction to Jasper's declaration.

"I know I don't have to," his blue eyes shine almost silver as he leans closer, "But I want to. I don't give a damn what those sycophants say Bella, and you shouldn't either. Caring about their opinion gives them power over you and you are so much stronger than that."

"How do you always seem to know what to say?" I blurt out, still unable to tear my eyes away from his, "You've only known me for a few days and yet you say these things like we've known each other our whole lives."

"Because I feel like I've known you my whole life," he admits genuinely, "I don't mean to scare you, but I won't ever lie to you either Bella." His scent overwhelms my senses as he leans in and I feel his warm lips caress my cheek, "Now, let's get you to class before you're late."

If I didn't feel like crap earlier from keeping Gavin a secret from him, now it's agony. This flaxen haired angel at my side just vowed that he would never lie to me. I know that I shouldn't trust him so much already, but something inside tells me that it's too late. I trust him with my life.

And my secret.

Just as we draw near my next class, I finally make a decision. I'm going to tell him about my son tonight. That way he has the most vital piece of information before deciding what he wants from this....whatever that is happening with us. Now I just have to figure out the best way to explain that I'm a mom to a two-almost three year old without painting myself as a whore.

"I'm calling at nine still, right?" his honeyed accent turns my brain on it's side.

"If you want," I nod uncertainly, trying to give him a way out if he wants one.

"Of course I do," he chuckles and raises a hand to cup my cheek," I wouldn't have asked otherwise Bella. Hell girl, I'd kiss you right now, if I knew you'd let me."

What?! He wants to kiss me?!

"What?" I rasp, my throat suddenly parched, there's no way this is happening. "What about Emmett and Seth?"

"One kiss from your dewy lips would save me from an eternity of darkness," his words are sweeter than any poets, "And I gladly would sacrifice my life for one taste. I do not fear death." He stops, realizing that our faces are now only mere inches apart, "But now is not the time, beautiful Bella, nor is a decrepit hallway of this school the place I've dreamed of kissing you for the first time, so I will have to be patient a little while longer."

Again, he presses a kiss to my heated cheek, then one to my forehead before sighing and taking a step back, "I'll talk to you tonight." It isn't a question, it's a promise. I can feel it.

"Okay," I respond in a wistful tone and allow him to gently push me through the door before running to his own class.

The rest of school floats by under a fog, and I find myself driving home alone, as Seth and Emmett took the others up on their offer to grab a bite to eat and have a study session at Rosalie's house. Luckily Jasper hadn't arrived yet to witness me politely rejecting the invitation and rushing to my vehicle afterwords because I don't think I would have been able to say no otherwise.

When I get home, the house is empty, but the parentals left a note explaining that they took Gavin with them to get some steaks and stuff for dinner because Charlie wanted to grill out this evening. After quickly finishing my homework, I start on the salad and a few other sides to go along with the food.

I just put the salad in the fridge when my phone rings. Thinking it's one of my brothers or parents, I answer without looking at the ID. "Swan's Mortuary, you stab 'em, we slab 'em. How can I help you?"

"Damn! Aren't you a girl of many talents?" my favorite voice in the world replies, "I couldn't wait until nine to hear your voice again, are you mad?"

One Bella sized puddle coming up, again. "No, I'm not mad. Are my brothers behaving?"

His laughter drifts from the receiver, "As well as can be expected, I guess. Rosalie did punch Emmett in the mouth though. He starting singing that song, Let's Get Drunk and Screw, the one by Jimmy Buffet, to her. I think the funniest part is that it had the opposite effect than she intended. He's been egging her nonstop on ever since."

"That sounds like my idiot brother," I mutter, then turn around just in time to see Gavin trip in the door. Fuck my life.

"Mommy! Look what Gamma and Gwampa got me!" he cheerfully bounces over, holding up a little explorer's kit, complete with binoculars, a butterfly net, and a little notebook to write down his findings.

"That's awesome sweetheart!" I answer with a smile that hopefully hides the panic I'm feeling right now, "Why don't you have Grandpa take it out of it's case and you can go exploring in the backyard while we make dinner? I'll join you in your hunt after we eat."

"Otay Mommy," he giggles and trots off in search of his grandfather.

I hastily retreat to my room once I know my boy is distracted. Once alone, I finally acknowledge Jasper, who's been silent during the entire conversation. "Still there? Or have you decided to cut your losses over what you just heard? I'd completely understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore, girls like me usually get saddled with unsavory reputations."

"You're a mom?" he whispers, exacerbated, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow," I feel the walls beginning to rebuild themselves, "I should probably let you go then, by the sound of things. It's been nice talking to you Jasper, I promise I won't bug you in school."

I start pulling the phone away to disconnect when he shouts, "Bella, no, don't hang up! I-I was just surprised, that's all. I swear it doesn't bother me nearly as much as you think it does. Just don't go yet. Please?"

"Fine," I sigh and step out onto my balcony, expecting the worst now.

"How old is he? What's his name? Where's his dad at?" Jasper's questions come rolling out in rapid succession, but the one that knocks me for a loop is also his last one, "Can I meet him?"

"Why would you want to meet him?" I can't help but be wary.

"Because he is such a big part of your life and if I ever hope to be a part of that life as well, I want to make sure the little guy approves of me," He responds without a moment of hesitation, "Besides, if he is anything like you, which I don't doubt he is, he's going to want to know who his mother's friends are."

"Um," I stupidly answer, my brain rolling with all of the things that could go wrong, "Not today Jasper. I'm really weird about the people I let around Gavin. I don't mean to offend you or anything, but I had a bad experience with someone who was supposed to be my friend when he was about eight months old and it's made me gun shy. Please tell me that you understand?"

"I understand Bella," again there is nothing suspect in his tone, "You're protective of your child, that's just a sign that you're a good mom."

I can hear dad hollering for me to come down and eat before it gets cold, "Jasper, I don't mean to cut this short, but my dad is yelling for me to come eat dinner. Can I call you later so we can discuss this?"

"You can call me anytime, day or night Bella," he assures me and I feel myself begin to relax against my will, "And don't worry, I won't tell the others about him, it's not my secret to tell."

"Thank you Jasper, you don't know how much that means to me," I tell him honestly. "Later."

He says goodbye and I close the phone before breaking into a graceless happy dance. "He didn't run away!" I eventually explode with a giggle as Sue materializes in my doorway, "He wants to meet my son!"

"Who wants to meet Gavin?" she immediately falls into protective grandma mode.

"Jasper Whitlock, this guy from school that for some crazy reason, I trust," and since honesty is so important in this family, "I really like him mom, I mean I like him, like him, and I'm pretty damn sure that he won't do anything to hurt me or Gavin. There's is something about him that makes me feel safe."

"Well, maybe you should invite him over on Saturday, I heard Em and Seth talking to your dad about going four wheeling," she offers, taking my place hands in her caramel ones, "And I'll talk to your dad about cooking out again if things go well enough for him to stay for dinner. If we do it this way, it gives your father and I a chance to get to know this Jasper Whitlock without Charlie resorting to using his FBI training to interrogate the boy."

"He'll try to do that anyways," I counter with a resigned smile, "I'm supposed to call Jasper later on tonight, so I'll ask him then."

"Awesome, now let's go eat," she pulls me after her, an impish grin etched onto her russet face.

By the time I get Gavin to bed, I've had another epiphany. I can't expect Emmett, Seth, and now Jasper, to continue hiding my secret from our new found friends. The only way to minimize the fallout is to tell them soon and hope that they take it as well as Jasper did. This way, if they can't bring themselves to be friendly with me, it won't hurt so much to go back to being strangers who see one another at school.

I take my time showering and shaving before sliding into my standard pajamas and curling up on my bed to call Jasper. As the phone rings once, twice, then three times, I feel my stomach beginning to knot up. Maybe he changed his mind?

To my relief, he picks up on the forth ring. "Hello beautiful girl. Sorry it took me so long to answer, I was in the um, shower." His tone is off, do I sense a hint of embarrassment? Why would he be—oh. Oh! My cheeks feel like they're glowing in the dark.

"It's okay Jasper," I tell him, eagerly hoping for a distraction from the images bombarding me right now, "I just got out of the shower too."

I swear I hear him moan before he feebly tries to cover it with a cough, "Well, er, um, that's cool. Is the munchkin still up?"

"I toss my pillows in a pile against the headboard and lean back, "No, he was dead to the world by eight thirty, my dad and brothers wore him out playing Explorer's in the backyard. Dad was zonked out not too long after him, I think he was more tired than Gavin."

"Bella, I want you to know that this doesn't change anything between us or how I feel about you," he says in a rush then leaves the air eerily silent. I swear I can hear crickets chirping somewhere.

"Thank you," I say the only thing that I am able, "I think it will be nice to have at least one friend that I'm not related to who knows. Speaking of, do you still want to meet him?"

"Of course I do!" he exclaims, his accent becoming more prominent, "Almost nothing would make me happier!"

It's my turn to be confused. "Almost?"

"Well yeah, the first being getting you to accept going out on a date with me," he haltingly divulges.

Here's my chance. "Well, why don't you come over this Saturday and meet him? We're all going four wheeling and then barbecuing," I elaborate, hoping he doesn't flat out refuse, "I was thinking about inviting everyone else over too, just to get this off of my chest, but you could come early, if you wanted."

He's quiet for a few seconds before answering, "What time is too early to come over? Do you and Gavin sleep in on the weekends? Should I bring breakfast?"

I can't choke back the snicker that manifests, "Gavin is two years old. He doesn't know the concept of early except when he has to get up before he's damn good and ready to, so that mean I'm usually up at the crack of dawn with him. And no, you don't need to bring anything but yourself and maybe a change of clothes, since riding with my brothers often turns into a mud slinging contest."

"I have a four wheeler, I'll bring it so if something happens, I don't bust one of yours," he declares with a tone of finality, "And I thought I saw a few racks of ribs in the freezer the other day, I'll bring them too, as a peace offering for your family. I'll spice 'em up Texas style and then all that will have to be done is toss 'em on the grill."

My mouth waters at the mention of ribs. "That sounds great actually. Dad is great with steaks, chicken, and burgers, but me or mom are the ones who always end up doing the ribs or they taste funky."

Our conversation wanders off of the subject and I find myself answering all types of questions, although I once again pass on anything on the matter of Gavin's biological father or where he might be other than to admit that he has nothing to do with my baby boy. When I happen to glance at the clock, I find that it's already close to one in the morning, so I apologize for keeping him up so long and quickly get off of the phone.

I'm glad to say that the rest of my week is more of the same,with the exception of the gang being over the moon when I ask them to come over for some four wheeling and a cookout. Jasper and I spend as much time together at school as we can get away with and talk on the phone every night once the boy is tucked away and dreaming. These nights are sprinkled with calls from the others as well, and I soon find myself with a group of people that I trust nearly as much as my own family.

On Friday, my parents are out having a date night and the boys are over at Edward's for some 'guy time' while Alice and Rosalie pick out what they're calling their 'muddin' outfits', so I decide to pack Gavin up and take a trip to Walmart to get a few last minute things for the gathering tomorrow. He's thrilled that we're having a party, but I think he's just looking forward to having an excuse to get covered head to toe in mud.

As per usual, my boy talks my ears off as we shop, telling me about how his grandad took him to work today. Dad had taken a job as a park ranger after we moved because he didn't want to sit at home all day and that he didn't want to get lazy because he had money to burn for once in his life. I personally believe that Sue most likely told him to go out and get a job that was out of the house or she was going to drown him in the lake.

After finding everything on my list, I go through the torture of finding an open lane at the checkout. Much to my chagrin, the cashier ends up being Lauren Mallory, the blonde girl at school who has been talking shit on me since Jasper and I started hanging out together. The sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach only gets worse when Gavin asks for a candy bar and I tell him to put it up on the conveyor belt.

"Did you help your big sister go shopping?" the blonde harpy asks my child in a sickly sweet voice.

Gavin looks at her, then me, and back. "Dat's not my sifster, dat's my mommy. She towd me I was her bestest helper in all da world."

I see the realization hit, her eyes darkening with malevolent glee, "I bet you are her bestest helper sweetie. You did a good job too!"

Out of Gavin's view, I give her a murderous look, to which she responds with an even bigger smirk. I am so screwed come Monday morning, I might as well start packing now. It's not like I can blame my son, he doesn't know what an evil witch she is.

I hold my hand out for the receipt, "He always does an excellent job, can we go now?"

She hand the paper over, "See you at school Bella."

Go play in traffic Lauren. "Yep. Bye." I push the cart forward, resisting the urge to drop everything and run as far as possible with my baby and never look back.

I warn my parents that night about what happened in the store but keep it to myself when I talk to Jasper because I don't want to ruin our weekend before it ever starts. Too bad I know that it's not going to take long before the whole town knows.

**Out of the mouths of babes, huh? **

**Reviews are appreciated, since that's the only kind of payment us authors get for writing.**


	7. Trying

**Poor Bella, huh? Poor girl can't catch a break to save her life. Hopefully the gang will help her get through this.**

**Stephenie Meyer still owns everything Twilight. I don't own anything else copyrighted either.**

"No!" Gavin's shriek makes me look up from my coffee in alarm, "Mommy! Emmy said dat your new fwiend wants to eat your cookies and cweam!"

I glance at my older sibling, who has the audacity to grin at me in spite of his split, bruised, and swollen lower lip. "What Bells? That's not nearly half as bad as what I could have said and you frakking well know it."

I shake my head in annoyance and level a finger at him, "If you ever spew garbage like that around my child ever again, I swear I will cut your most precious body part off with a rusty saw, fry it up with some baked beans, and then force feed it to you."

"PMS much sis?" Seth asks, entering the kitchen and picking up his plate of eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. "What stupid thing did Emmett say in front of the ankle biter this time?

"Who says I said anything?" the giant of a man affixes his best pout to his face.

Seth straddles the chair farthest from our brother, "Because Bella only threatens you with castration when you've done something especially stupid, like being unable to keep your mouth out of the gutter around Gavin."

"Like telling me that she's going to chop my junk off and make me eat it is any better?" Emmett scoffs, "Stop being such a biotch about it Bella. I know that you're nervous about today, so am---"

The doorbell chime cuts him off. "I get it!" my little monster shouts, squirming out of his chair and speeding out of the room before I can stop him.

"Gavin! Wait a second, dammit!" I shout, but it's futile. He's already in the process of throwing open the door by the time I reach him. I dart over and scoop him up just as Jasper's form is revealed.

"You never gave me a time to come over, so I figured ten thirty sounded good, on account everybody is supposed to be here at noon," he explains his presence on my porch, those entrancing eyes of his shifting from Gavin to me and then widening. Oh shit. My scars. "Can I come in?"

"Shit, I mean shoot, yeah, of course, come in," I ramble, stepping out of the way so he can enter unhindered, "I'm still in my pj's, sorry about that. We got a late start because someone decided to sleep in for once."

"That's okay, you look beautiful just the way you are," he covers the pink tint on his face by lifting a white box, "I brought like six different kinds of donuts, I didn't know what everyone would like, if you'd be so kind as to point me in the direction of the kitchen?"

I step in front of him and lead him to where my brothers are still stuffing their faces. I know he's going to ask about my scars now, as well as the full back phoenix peeking out of my cami and the hawk on my shoulder the he had to have seen.

"Jazzman! Good to see you here in casa de Swan!" Emmett booms while waving at the seat next to him, "Grab a plate and tuck in dude, or you're going to miss out on Bella's mad cooking skills!"

"Mommy, I want down," my boy announces and proceeds to squirm out of my hold. As soon as his Spiderman slippers hit the floor, he's heading towards Jasper. "You can't have my mommy's cookies and cweam! You're not awwowed!"

Jasper lifts an eyebrow and I give a pointed look at Emmett before shrugging. "Okay bud, no cookies and cream for me," he agrees in the same serious tone Gavin spoke with before sticking his hand out, "I'm Jasper Whitlock, and it's a pleasure to meet you Gavin. You're mom has told me so much about you."

He seems hesitant as the smaller boy actually grasps his hand. "It's okay Jasper, you won't hurt him," I urge with an encouraging smile.

"I'm Gavin Michael Swan sur, and my gwampa says dat you'd better keep your filfy hands off my mommy or he haves a shiny new shotgun wif your name on it." my son replies, beaming with pride as Jasper visibly pales and nearly chokes at the declaration.

"I'll keep that in mind," he manages to answer, expertly hiding the trepidation he must be experiencing right now.

With the obviously practiced message delivered, my son skips off, stating that he and his grandfather need to talk. Ditto goes for me later.

"He's adorable Bella," Jasper declares, smiling, after the sounds of footsteps fade away, "Alice and Rosalie are going to go crazy when they meet him."

"He is easy to love," I agree then my purple jersey pants catch my eye, reminding me of my current state of dress and his ability to see my marred physique,"Would you mind being tortured by Em and Seth for a few minutes while I go get dressed? I promise I won't be long."

He takes my hand and brushes a kiss along my knuckles, "Take as long as you need angel, I'll still be here when you get back. The farthest I will go is out to show your brothers the ATV's I brought."

"Alice told me last night that Jake and Rose are bringing the other four wheelers so we don't have to worry about that," Seth pipes up, his exultation over getting to see Alice again is painfully evident.

"One less thing," I muse and maintain a calm pace until I reach the stairs, then break into a full out sprint. I hear Sue snicker as I race by the second floor and up to my room. I don't breathe freely again until I slam the door closed behind me. "What are you doing Bella?" I murmur into the empty space, suddenly anxious now that I have a sexy, southern accented and positively mouthwatering god on earth in my house.

I rush to my closet, then let out a groan of regret when I remember that wearing my nice clothes to go riding through the mud isn't the brightest idea. Add to that, I am going to have to wear long sleeves to cover up my disgusting body....I guess I'm dressing like crap today. Not how I wanted Jasper to see me. I wrap my hand around one of Emmett's ratty long sleeved tee shirts, then stop myself.

This is a day for confessions right?

Might as well get all of my skeletons out in one fell swoop. I let go of the hanger and reach for a chocolate brown tank top with a built in shelf bra, then pluck out a pair of blue jeans that are nearly torn to shreds. On my way out, I kick my hiking boots into the room ahead of me before stopping and picking up a black bandanna covered in white skulls.

I make haste in dressing, then brush my hair out and put it into a long braid before pulling the bandanna on over it. I glance at myself in the mirror on my way to the door. My scars are as evident as my tattoos and my hazel green eyes are fraught with worry. I take a half dozen deep breaths to center myself and calm down, then resign myself to whatever this day is going to bring.

"Bella?" Charlie calls as I get down to the second level, "Can I talk to you for a second baby?"

"Sure dad," I spin on my heal and shuffle over to him," What do you need? More time to teach my son another message to deliver to Jasper?"

His blush rivals one of my own. "Sorry about that kiddo. I can't help but worry. What I wanted to say was that no matter what happens from here on out, me and your mom love you and our grandson unconditionally and irrevocably," his brown eyes finally shift to my face, "And so do your brothers."

"I know dad," I sigh as he pulls me into an awkward hug, "I love you too."

"You'd better get down there now, there's no telling what your brothers are doing to the poor boy," he chortles, and gives my braid a slight tug, "Go, have fun. Me and your mom will be down about eleven thirty to pull the quads out."

"Alright dad," I smile back and make my escape before things get any weirder. I love my father, but he never received the memo explaining how to handle a teenage daughter, hence the discomfort.

Nobody is in the kitchen when I get there, so I dig out my sunglasses and meander out front to where a silver Dodge Ram is parked, holding one ATV in it's bed and another on a trailer hitched to it. Seth and Emmett are firing questions at Jasper about them while Gavin sits on the one parked on the trailer, making vroom sounds as he emulates driving.

"Mommy," of course Gavin is the first to notice me, "Jasper said I could dwive his quadwunner as long as I din't cwash it."

"He's not going to hurt anything," Jasper hastily explains, prompted by my curious expression. He moves closer and turns his back to the boy, "I took the key out so he doesn't accidentally start it or something. I hope you're not mad, he just kept asking and his eyes were so sad..."

"He suckered you Jasper," I snort a laugh and pat his shoulder, "Be careful or he will have you driving to McDonald's at four am, with those sad eyes of his."

Shockingly enough, the man's shoulders droop and his head follows suit, "I think I'm in trouble Bella. He begged for me to go get him lunch from McDonald's before we started riding and I told him that I would."

The guffaw that bursts from me is loud enough to get Seth and Emmett's attention. "You told my son that you would buy him lunch from McDonald's? Seriously? Okay, remind me to never ask you to babysit or I might get a call from you, telling me that you had to fly him to Vegas because he used his sad eyes on you, or did he do that already too?"

"Maybe?" he smirks upon realizing that I'm not upset with him, "Does Mardi Gras count?"

"Argh! Emmett, stop telling my son about Mardi Gras!" I shout at the lug, "He asked Jasper to take him there!"

"Hey, I can't help what he overhears when I don't know he's there Bella!" my elder sibling retorts as Seth doubles over with raucous laughter beside him.

"He was serious?" Jasper's golden hue fades into a sickly green, "Uh-oh."

"You didn't?" I whisper yell so Gavin doesn't realize that Jasper is spilling his guts to me, "Please tell me that you didn't tell him that you would take him?"

Suddenly his shoulders start shaking, but it's hard to see his face under the straw cowboy hat. Worried that I've upset him, I grab his arms and pull him up straight, only to find that he is laughing so hard that his face is wet with tears.

"You asshole!" I shove him away and go to stomp over to the trailer, but Jasper grabs my hand, "I'm sorry Bella, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up! You should have seen the look on your face!"

If my hand didn't feel so good in his, I would have clocked him right then. Just a joke Bella. Breathe. I count to ten before I raise my head to look at him. "Hardy har Jazz. If I didn't trust you as much as I do, I would be telling Emmett that he was finally getting his chance to test his wood chipper over the lake scene."

He moves close enough that our torsos are touching and puts his free hand in it's newly familiar place on my cheek, "I'm sorry darlin', I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to show that I'm handling the presence of your son okay. I won't do something like that again if it bothers you."

I give a barely perceptible shake of my head, "There's nothing to apologize for Jasper. I'm sorry that I overreacted, I'm not really used to this. Please bear with me, and in return I'll try harder not to be an insufferable bitch when you're cracking jokes. Deal?"

"Deal," he agrees, then offers me a heartfelt smile before kissing my forehead and releasing everything but my hand, to which he threads his fingers through. "So, what do you and Gavin usually do on weekends? You know, when he's not conning people into getting him fast food and all." It is not lost on me that he hasn't let go of my hand yet. I'm not sure that I want him to, if I'm being honest with myself.

"We mostly just hang out around the house, helping clean and playing games," I qualify, both of us pausing to observe my brothers, who are now playing a game of football with their nephew.

I wish I didn't have to do what I'm about to do, but there doesn't seem to be any other option. "Are you sure that you are okay with this Jasper?" I ask after a few minutes of silence, "I'm sorry that I sound so doubtful all the time, but I cannot afford to let him get attached to anyone who may get bored with the way I live my life in a few months time. It isn't fair to either of us. I wish I didn't have to put all of this on you so soon, but he is my main priority in all aspects of my life."

"Do I have to give the answer right this minute?" he asks in return and I know he that feels me tense up, but pushes on, "Because if that's the case, I don't have an answer. I want to know you Bella, and that little boy as well. But I can't give you an honest answer on whether I see this working or not working between us, I'm not a psychic. That's not the answer you wanted, but it's all I have for now, I'm sorry. But what I can say is that I am willing to try."

I deliberate for a minute, worrying my bottom lip as I weigh his words. Finally I give a nod yes, "I can live with trying. Thanks for being brutally honest with me, even if it was to admit that you don't know if you can handle all of this craziness that I call my life."

He shrugs and as we stroll closer to the game, he replies. "I told you that I would never lie to you, when will you believe me?"

"I believe you Jasper. I do," I reiterate when he gives me a sideways glance, "But like you just said a little while ago, I'm not psychic, so I have to be proactive in protecting myself and my son. It's instinctual Jazz, but I'm trying hard to let myself simply trust your word and not second guess it or look of any hidden agendas."

Gavin suddenly breaks from running across the yard and crashes into my legs. The force of the impact would have knocked me flat for sure if Jasper hadn't caught me at the last second. "Mommy, come pway wif us! Emmy isn't pwaying fair!"

I pick him up and wipe a line of dirt from over his left eyebrow, "Is he not playing fair fair, or is he not playing fair because he's not letting you win every time?"

His crystal blue orbs break contact with mine, "But he's too big Mommy! I need sewious help!"

"Oh honey, I know you do, but the therapy bills would make me go bankrupt," I deadpan and motion over my shoulder for Jasper to follow us, "Maybe if you ask Jasper nicely, he will keep Seth occupied while I distract Emmett and then you can run the ball in for a touchdown?"

"Pwease Jasper?" Gavin begs, even going as far as putting his hands together and giving the young man his best innocent look.

"Oh my god, how do you resist that?" he exclaims and holds his hands up in defeat, "Yes! Yes, I will help you, just stop hypnotizing me with those sad puppy eyes!"

"Yay! I'm goin' to tell Emmy and Sef!" he scurries out of my arms and races back to his uncles while babbling excitedly about the change of players.

"Are you sure that you're up for this?" I feel obligated to ask the lanky Texan as we move ever closer to my waiting siblings and son, "You don't have to play if you don't want to. Emmett and Seth have a tendency to try and bury each other when they go in for a tackle. Bones have been known to get broken."

"What? And lose man points because those brutes think I'm afraid of getting hit?" he retaliates, his timbre incredulous at best, "I don't fucking think so angel. Let's do this."

And this is where the others find us forty five minutes later. Well, actually we're in a big pile on top of Emmett, laughing our asses off, and Gavin is dancing down in the makeshift in zone after making the winning touchdown.

"Oh my god!" Alice's unmistakable squeal echoes in the clearing, "You didn't tell us that you had a little brother!"

***evil laugh* Yep, I stopped it right there. Now I know some of you are going to give me all kinds of hell for Jasper's answer, but try to look at things form his point of view before getting mad at him.**


	8. Confessions and Cold Shoulders

**You know, I think I'm spoiling you guys lol So many hits and yet so few reviews? Am I going to have to start holding chapters hostage? ;-)**

**This chapter contains descriptions of rape, torture, and murder. Consider yourself warned.**

**I don't own.**

"He's not my brother Alice," I swivel around and keep my visage as calm as possible, "Gavin is my son."

"Oh shit," Edward looks at me wide eyed, "Bella's a MILF."

"You can't call Bella a MILF," Jacob snakes an arm around me and pulls me to his side, "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this Edward, but you're gay."

The other man's expression transforms into horrified shock, "I'm gay?! When the hell did that happen?! Rosalie," he snags the blonde woman's arm as she saunters by, "When did I become gay?"

Her ruby lips fold up into a smirk, "Gee, I don't know Eddie, maybe around the time you made you up your mind that you were only going to play with the toy cars that were pretty? Or when you came over to my house in the middle of the night and cried for three hours because your mom made you kiss your Homecoming date goodnight?" She wrenches her arm free and moves over to me, "Well, well, well. So you're mommy to the little angel over there beating Emmett over the head with a foam bat huh? I like him already."

Oh crap. "Gavin! Stop beating on your uncle with the bat! Gamma said we're not allowed to take him to the hospital again until next month!"

"But mommy, it's fun beating on uncle Emmy! He makes weally funny squeaky sounds! He's funner dan Sef because Sef jus sounds like a girl when I hit him," he protests, making everyone in the yard chuckle. "Who are they?" he asks, noticing the new arrivals who have begun closing in on the improvised football field.

Alice, taking the initiative, dances over to where the two boys are. When she kneels down, my son is nearly as tall as she is! "Hi Gavin! I'm your mom and uncles friend and my name is Alice Brandon, but you can call me Aunt Alice."

I breathe a sigh of relief as Gavin smiles his angelic smile and immediately wins over my pint sized friend, but the tension begins to build anew when Rosalie, in all of her blonde haired, violet eyed, goddess incarnate glory, bends down and I see the boy's eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

"Are you an angel pwetty lady?" his question rings crystal clear through the clearing.

"Nope, I'm a Rosalie," she giggles, making him do so as well, "But thank you for the compliment."

The word confuses him. "What's a compwiment?"

"It's when you say something nice about someone or something," the woman explains, seemingly with the ease of a person who is used to those kinds of questions. Hmm, maybe she is. She sees my perplexed look and shrugs, "I work at a daycare center during the summer. I love kids."

"My turn to meet the rugrat!" Jake chimes in and all but runs over, his long black hair flowing out behind him. "Heya kiddo! I'm Jake."

"Hi Jake," my little one answers, still sneaking glances at Rosalie, "Your hair is pwetty like my Gamma and Aunt Weah's. Sef had pwetty hair too, but he choppeded it off cuz it was too hot." He shifts around and peers up at me while pointing a finger towards Edward, "Who's dat man wif da funny looking hair?"

"That's Edward honey," I tell him, "He is Alice's brother and Jake's special friend. And by the green tint to his skin, I don't think he's been around too many kids like yourself."

I watch my son's resolve as he clamors off of Emmett's lap and marches over to the frightened man. "I pwomise that I don't bite anymore Edward, you don't haf to be afwaid of me."

"Who says that I'm afraid of you half pint?" Edward challenges with a weak grin.

"Puwease," the squirt in question rolls his eyes," I'm onwy two and a haf and I can tell dat your scawed."

Edward's head snaps around until his gaze settles on me, "This kid is smart! I mean genius kind of smart!"

"I guess Eddie's finally found his intellectual nemesis!" Rosalie cackles and holds her arms out to Gavin, who amazingly enough, runs right to her and seats himself on her lap, "It's okay Gavin, I think Edward just needs some time to get used to someone as smart as you."

"So I take it that things are going well?" Sue inquires, not missing the fact that her grandson is shamelessly flirting with Rosalie as I introduce everyone.

I give an approving nod, "So far so good. I think the rest can wait until after dinner though. Does dad need us to help with anything?"

"Not at all, he just sent me over to tell you kids that everything is ready and that the trails have been marked," she takes in the groups confusion, "There are three trails, easy, medium, and hard. The easy one is tagged with neon pink ribbons tied to stakes along the route. The medium has yellow, and the advanced trail has bright red."

"Make sure all the kids have helmets!" Charlie bellows from the garage.

We all declare that we have our helmets and Sue proceeds to hand out walkie talkies to everyone. "This is to stay on you at all times when you're out on the trails, we don't want anyone getting lost. Me and Charlie will be keeping Gavin, for the most part, so Bella and the boys will be able to show you the trails."

Our radios clipped on, we file over to the garage, where everybody is introduced to Charlie when he inspects their helmets. He warns them three separate times to stay on the paths that have been marked because of wild animals and to heed whatever Emmett, Seth and I tell them out there. We almost fall over laughing when he asks Alice for the fourth time if she's old enough to be riding with us and she whips out her driver's license to prove that she is, in fact, sixteen years old.

Soon after, Sue takes Gavin, who had been playing musical people, and tells us to take off before Charlie finds something else to bore us with. We don't need to be told twice. Within minutes, my brothers and I are leading our friends into the forest. We keep a reasonable speed until the parents are out of sight, then we open up the throttles and quickly achieve breakneck speeds.

We take the easy trail first, to warm up and let everyone get comfortable with their machines, then head to the middle trail to play on the low jumps and race through a few small streams. At one point, Edward isn't paying attention to the quad in front of him and therefore doesn't see the sharp turn ahead. His yowl echoes through the canopy as he launches off the trail and crashes headfirst into a shallow pond. I swear Jake nearly comes unseated from his ATV, he's laughing so hard at his boyfriend.

By the time we hit the third, and most difficult trail, all eight of us are soaked to the bone, but it has no effect on our high spirits. My favorite part of the day comes when we stop for a break. All of the boys tug off their wet shirts and the gang discovers that I am not the only one who has been inked. Emmett has a black tribal bear's head on his back and Seth's skin carries a tribal wolf's head, etched in black and deep blues. When asked how in the hell Seth managed to get a tattoo so young, the three of us exchange a glance before answering that Emmett and Seth went with me when I had my phoenix done.

"How did you convince your parents to let you do that?" Alice prods innocently, "My parents went ballistic when I pierced my own navel!"

"As you can see, I'm covered in scars," I hold up my arms for a moment before letting them fall back to my sides, "The back of my body, from neck to knees, was badly burned and left me looking like some creature out of a horror movie. My mom always tried to tell me that I was a phoenix because instead of giving up, the fire made me someone new, so when I found this design on the internet one night when Gavin was teething and couldn't sleep, I asked my parents if I could have it done over the scars on my back." I let out a heavy sigh and each of my brothers take a hand, "But I was scared. I had already lived through so much pain. So my bonehead brothers and sister came up with the bright idea of all four of us getting tattoos together. When we told mom and dad, they shocked the hell out of us by offering to get inked as well."

"Did they do it?" Edward asks, his jade orbs flickering with interest.

"Yeah, they did," I confess with a wry smile, "Dad has our initials tattooed on his right shoulder and Sue got this tribal swan on her hip. Leah ended up with this beautiful dark fairy sitting on a crescent moon on her left shoulder. When I went back to get my hawk done for my seventeenth birthday, Lee-Lee went with me and had shooting stars done on her right foot. Her and mom came with me as well when I did my nose, they had their navels pierced while waiting on me to decide what stud I wanted."

"I guess the family that tattoos together, stays together?" Jake guffaws, earning him a smack from Alice, who is perched in Seth's lap.

"So where did you get the burns from?" Rosalie finally asks the sixty four thousand dollar question without lifting her head from Edward's shoulder.

I guess it's now or never, whether I'm ready or not. They deserve to know the truth.

"I'm going to spare you the gory details, because they still give me nightmares," I begin despite the matching scowls on Emmett and Seth's faces, "When I was fourteen, my boyfriend and I were walking home from the movie theater when we were attacked by three men. We tried to fight them,but it was useless. They kil--killed Scott at some point while they were taking turns beating me, shredding me with box cutters, and raping me in every orifice they could force their way in to. All the while, James kept screaming that he knew that I wanted him as he hurt me. All I knew of him was that he was the creepy guy at the mall who kept trying to talk to young girls." The inevitable tears have begun to fall, but I swipe them away and continue.

"When they were done, they threw my dress over me, poured a small can of lighter fluid on it, and set me on fire. They thought I was de-d-dead because I'd blacked out, so they tossed me and Scott's body into a dumpster. I laid there, next to my boyfriend's moldering corpse, for days until a garbage man found us. I-I found out I was pregnant while in the hospital recuperating, but refused an abortion because there was a possibility that it, he, was Scott's. We only had sex that one time, but it had only been a few days before everything happened, so I couldn't be sure who the baby belonged to. I didn't find out until after Gavin was born that he wasn't my boyfriend's after all, but by that time, I couldn't give up what had become my soul reason to exist and to keep fighting to get my life back." A sob explodes out of my body and Jasper is immediately in front of me, murmuring his apologies in my ear while he, Seth and Emmett hold me tight.

"Did they ever find those son of a bitches?" Jake growls, inadvertently causing me to cry harder as I shake my head no.

"Dad was in the FBI, an interrogator, when this shit happened and even with all of his resources, not one scrap of them were ever found. All we had was Bella's description of a man named James, who had been bothering her and her friends at the mall off and on for weeks," Emmett confesses over my head, "It was like they never existed until they decided to kill a boy and then rape and break an innocent girl. His confidence in the Bureau was crushed, and he left them a week after Gavin was born."

The entire group falls quiet until the sounds of my weeping finally fade into the occasional sniffle. Somehow, I've ended up in Jasper's lap, with him stroking my hair softly as the others get ready to head back. "Are you okay to drive?" he murmurs against my ear, "You can ride with me, or one of the others, if you want."

I push away from his chest and run my hands over my face before taking a deep breath, "No, I'll be alright Jasper, I can drive the four wheeler back. It won't be the first time I've driven back after bawling my eyes out."

"If you're sure," he answers, unconvinced, but lets me out of his lap to get to my feet.

Emmett rides in front of me and Seth behind as we wind our way back to the house, where mom, dad, and Gavin are sitting down on our dock in the shade provided by the boat, fishing poles in hand.

Sue takes one look at me and rushes over to wrap her arms around me, "Oh honey, you didn't have to tell them everything. It hurts you so much."

"Yes I did mom," I counter without much feeling, "They deserved to know how broken I really am."

"Are you going to have an attack? Do you want one of your pills?" her tone holds no judgment, only concern and love.

"No, I think that I'm doing okay without it," I declare amongst the eyes that have settled on me upon Sue's inquiry. "Maybe we should get dinner started."

She knows that I'm trying to steer their attention away from me, and gives me a sad smile, "Of course. You guys have been out there for almost five hours, you've got to be starving!"

Like a general commanding her army, my mother starts issuing orders to everyone after we wash up and change into clean clothes. Jasper and Edward retrieve the coolers in his truck that are currently holding the coveted ribs while Rosalie and Alice drag out bags of chips, dip, and a few vegetable trays. Jake, along with my help, brings out a few cases of soda and shoves them into a few more coolers that dad brought over from the garage. Emmett and Seth busy themselves with setting up a couple of outdoor dining tables, complete with umbrellas and matching chairs. While we work, Gavin complains that there is no music, so mom runs into the house and turns on the satellite radio, then flips the switch for the outside speakers.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't bothered by Jasper's sudden stand-offish attitude towards me as everyone converses and eats their food, but with everything I thrust out into the open today, I can understand that it's a lot to take in. I just hope that it doesn't ruin the friendship we already have, even if that is all he decides we can ever be. Unfortunately, by the time everyone is readying to leave for the night, he still hasn't spoken a single word to me. I hate that it's come down to this so soon, but I knew it was a possibility when I'd confessed the horrific things that have happened in my past.

When he announces that he is heading home, I follow him out the door and over to his truck. "Can I call you tonight?" I take a chance and ask.

He pauses midway into the vehicle. "Not tonight," he curtly responds and disappears into the cab before starting the engine and speeding away down the lane.

"Give the boy some time," my father's boots thump across the wooden porch, "You gave him a lot to think about and now you need to give him the time and the space he needs to process it all, otherwise you are going to scare him away before your relationship ever gets off the ground sweetheart."

"I thought you wanted to use your shiny new shotgun on him?" I sniffle-laugh and rest my head on his shoulder.

"That was my instinct to protect my little girl talking," he huffs in feigned annoyance, "Jasper is a good boy Bells, but don't get your hopes up of anything but friendship happening between you two now. Most boys aren't mature enough to handle being anything but skirt chasers at that age."

"He isn't like that dad," I start to argue, but he shushes me, "I know he's not, but that doesn't mean that he's prepared to take on the responsibilities that come with having a girlfriend who is already a parent herself kiddo. All I'm saying is let it rest for now and don't expect him to suddenly want to shoulder this kind of life. Give him what he needs the most right now, time and room to think."

"Okay," I acquiesce and then excuse myself so that I can bathe my son and get him to bed.

I stay in my room until I hear the others going to bed for the night, thinking about everything that happened. I can't help but be happy that my friends, even Edward, have been so accepting of Gavin into their lives. It was so easy, like he'd always been there. My heart breaks a little when I remember Jasper's cold stance with me after we'd arrived back home, but am unable to be too upset with his reaction. Although his distance reminds me of other supposed friends when they had found out about my son, I know that his actions are not purposely malignant.

The clock on my end stand reads midnight, and I finally give in to the urge to call the only other person who can give me advice on the subject of boys. I slowly punch in the number, hoping that I haven't mucked it up.

Two rings later, they answer. "Hello?"

"Leah, I need some advice."

**Is it everything you were expecting? Who else is having mixed emotions about Jasper's reaction to it all.**


	9. Yardwork

**Four chapters in 48 hours? I bet you're asking yourselves if I'm crazy. I can answer that.**

**Yes I am :-)**

**I still don't own and blame any major mistakes on me being tired.**

**Let's get on with the show and see how things turn out, shall we?**

After a long discussion with my sister about how I don't need some stupid boy to make my life worth living, even if he is a sun-kissed southern god, I crash hard, not waking up until almost nine the next morning, when I am viciously attacked by my brothers with the assistance of my two year old.

"What in the world?" I grind out, restraining the monster inside from hurling every cuss word I know at the trio.

"Well, sister mine, kidzilla here wants to go see the gang, and they're all over at Jake's house helping with yard work or something because all he has is his dad and he's in a wheelchair and I thought that you might want to know that we're stealing your kid whether you want to come with us or not," Emmett explains in a haughty tone.

I sit up and scratch my head while trying to focus on what he'd just said, "Um, okay, give me about ten minutes and a cup of coffee then I'll be ready. You're going to have to wait for me though because I have no idea where Jake lives."

"I told you that she'd let you go," Seth nudges Gavin, who giggles and climbs up onto his uncle's back before tugging on his ears and yelling "Mush!" Emmett trails out of the room behind them, a silly grin plastered to his face.

I crawl to the bathroom, where I do my thing, then brush my hair and teeth before moving onto the dreaded closet of doom. I prevent my brain from second guessing my wardrobe choices by quickly pulling on an old tee shirt and jeans before stepping back into my boots. When I'm done, I grab my phone, keys, and pack Gavin's bag before trudging down to my boys, who, bless their hearts, have a travel mug filled with java waiting.

Gavin begs to ride with his uncles and I wave him off with a warning to behave as I make my way to my pick up, sipping my coffee as I go. Once on the road, my emotions start spiraling out of control again and I have to repeat Leah's words over and over until the panic drifts away. I won't let this issue between Jasper and me to mar the relationships that I've begun to forge with the rest of the group.

Too bad no one told Jasper.

As the truck rolls to a stop in front of the startlingly humble abode in which Jake lives, I immediately spot a golden halo moving towards me. Fighting the urge to grab my son and drive away as fast as I can, I kill the engine and step out into the gray morning.

"Can I talk to you?" his voice is low and he is staring at something over my shoulder.

"Not today," I practically throw his words from last night back in his face and storm over to my son, who is grinning like a fiend while his cheeks are being covered in Alice and Rosalie's loud kisses.

"You are such a ham," I playfully accuse before turning to face Jake, "So what are we doing today Chief?"

He scratches his jaw thoughtfully for a few seconds, then shrugs, "Well, the grass needs cut after a couple of trees that fell during the last storm get cut up and stacked around back, then I have to fix the door on the shed because someone," he glares across the yard to where Jasper and Edward are chatting, "crashed a dirt bike into it last weekend. That's the biggest stuff, though there is a bunch of little things I'd to get done if possible. I know things must be crazy with Gavin and all, but I really appreciate you coming out to help. I means a lot to me."

"That's what friends are for," I answer without a second thought, "And friends look out for one another, right? Or did I read the wrong handbook?"

"No, that sounds like the right one," his chuckle is light, "Alright Mama, how about you go over there and steal Edward's dad's riding mower while he's not looking and start out front here while me and the guys clear the trees in the back? Rosalie and Alice are going to fix the door and said something about tidying up the house while my dad is out fishing with one of his buddies, so I think I'll be able to talk them into helping keep an eye on the boy pretty easily."

"Sounds good to me," I qualify and then proceed to hijack the tractor without too much difficulty.

About fifteen minutes into my appointed task, the sun breaks through the clouds and not long after, Jasper waves me down, that damn straw hat of his in hand. I pull up alongside him and raise an eyebrow when he drops the hat on my head. "To keep your face from getting sunburned. I remember you saying that you burn really quickly," he elaborates, his face tinged pink, "And before you ask, Alice already slathered some sunscreen on Gavin. She and Edward burn very easily and keep some in their cars for days like this."

"Thank you Jasper, that was really thoughtful," I reply in a cool but genuine tone, "And thank Alice for me as well."

"I will dar--Bella," he pats the hood of the mower and waves me on without another word, though his eyes are dark with his unspoken thoughts as I ride away. Hhmm, maybe he is heeding my words after all.

I finish the front and side parts of the lawn without any interruptions, aside from Gavin wanting a ride and Alice bringing me a bottle of water. I drive around to the rear yard and slam my foot on the break when I see the guys are once again sans shirts as they work, only this time my child is one of them. On an impulse, I pull my phone out and snap a few pictures before tucking it back into my pocket and continue over to where they are stacking wood under an old carport.

I cut the engine and climb off the machine to stretch my legs. "How does it look?" I wave a hand towards the parts I've mowed.

Jake wipes his face off with his shirt and takes a long look at the yard before smiling, "Fantastic job Mama," I can't help but grin at his new nickname for me, "Why don't you take a break and go inside for a bit while we finish with the wood?"

"Are you coming with me baby?" I ask my little one as he wanders over and hugs my leg.

"I wanna stay wif da boys Mommy," he pouts and I lean down, kissing his head before laughing, "Okay hun, I thought I'd ask though since I'm going in. Are you being good?"

"He has been an absolute angel Bella," Edward answers, handing over Gavin's sippy cup and bag of vanilla wafers as he speaks, "Not nearly as frightening as I thought he'd be."

"Hey!" Gavin squeals and chases after the copper haired boy, who is cackling madly as he continues to keep out of the child's reach. I quickly snap another picture, then give Jake a quick thank you and a hug before climbing the back stairs and going into the little red house.

"Bella!" Alice bounces into the kitchen as I am slipping my boots off, "I think it's time to talk about all the craziness that happened yesterday while the boys are busy."

I'm about to protest when Rosalie appears in the archway, her arms crossed and face set in an 'I dare you to fight this' look. "Fine," I sigh and crack my neck like I'm getting ready for a boxing match, "What do you want to know?"

They don't fail in surprising me when the first thing they ask about is to see my phoenix. They ooh and aww at the intricately etched bird and to their credit, put on a brave face and run their fingers over both the ink and the angry scars that mottle my flesh. Of course, I can't escape the inevitable questions about Jasper and I for long, the first one coming from Alice.

"I know that he is completely infatuated with you B," she prattles while wiping down an end table in the living room, "What the hell was going on with him last night? I mean, he was so sweet and caring out in the woods, but acted like you didn't exist when we got back to your house."

"I have no fucking clue," I admit, most likely looking as exasperated as I feel, "When he was leaving, I asked if I could call him and he told me 'Not tonight' and took of like a bat out of hell. And then turns around this morning and practically attacks me when I get here, asking to talk. I feel bad, but I was a bit of a bitch to him when he asked."

"Ooh, bitchy Bella sounds fun," Rosalie snickers as she hangs up a set of freshly washed curtains, "What did you say?"

"I used the same cold voice he'd had when he talked to me last night and told him not today," I confess with a red face, "I was feeling a bit peeved and wanted him to understand how much his words hurt me and that it was my turn to need space."

"Well, mission accomplished babe," the dark haired girl answers, "Jasper's spent the whole day looking like someone ran over his puppy."

"Why do you think he's so upset?" Rosalie's violet pools are filled with apologies as soon as the words leave her mouth, "Oh shit, forget I asked that."

"No, it's okay Rose," I run my hands through my hair and shrug, "It could be for a lot of things. Maybe me being a mom wasn't real to him until he saw Gavin and he realized his mistake or possibly he doesn't want anything to do with me now that he knows where my scars came from, then there is the little gem of knowing that my son exists because I was raped and left for dead at fourteen years old. Maybe it's just because I was raped and now he sees me as dirty as I still feel sometimes....." I take a stuttering breath, "Maybe it's a combination of everything and he's decided that I'm too broken and not worth the effort. I can't say that I blame him. I'm the size of a house and look like I've been put through a meat grinder then charbroiled."

I don't see Rosalie's hand coming, but my face sure as hell feels the sting as it connects with my cheek. "Don't. You. Ever. Put. Yourself. Down. Like. That. Ever. Again," she growls, now hovering over me ominously, "You are so strong and beautiful, inside and out, and it kills me to hear you degrade yourself like that Bella. If he can't see how lucky he would be to have you and that precious little boy in his life, then I say fuck him. You don't need a coward, you need someone who will love, protect, and cherish you like you deserve."

I glance at Alice, who is nodding and wiping tears from her eyes, "I agree with Rose hun. In the words of Avril Lavigne, hell yeah, you are a motherfucking princess, and you only deserve someone who will treat you as such."

"Does that mean I have to talk Edward or Jake into at least turning bi for me?" I joke, trying to disperse the volatile emotions choking the room. It works. The girls tumble onto the couch, holding their stomachs as they giggle their heads off.

Once they settle down, Rose changes the subject and asks about our mixed family. I give them a very brief explanation about how Emmett, dad, and I dealt with my birth mother taking off one day and that the only time we ever heard from her again was when Charlie received his divorce papers and the documents that showed Renee signing all of her rights as a parent away. I then skip ahead and tell the girls about how, on their wedding day, Sue adopted Emmett and I and Charlie adopted Leah and Seth, since their birth father had long since passed away.

Sensing that our time alone is rapidly coming to a close, I finally take a leap and ask their advice about something that has been bothering me for days. "What's the best way to go about asking Jasper about his mom and whatever went down in Texas?"

They stop dead for a few heartbeats, then level their gazes at me. "Be open and honest, no matter what he says," Alice states soberly, with Rosalie adding, "And try not to judge or show pity, he hates that."

"Who hates what?" Edward interrupts, his hair, usually untidy on its best day, now bears a striking resemblance to a rusty bird's nest.

"You know how Jake hates it when we hold him down and paint his toenails," the buxom blonde answers without missing a beat.

Edward's smirk is full of mischief, "Have you told her about the year Jake lost a bet with Alice and had to go trick or treating dressed like a Vegas showgirl? Bella, you would have died laughing over the amount of pink feathers Alice managed to get onto that costume!"

"Oh god, not the showgirl costume! I hated that thing!" I hear Jake wail as he and the others stomp in with Gavin hovering over them because he is perched on one of Emmett's broad shoulders.

"Who's hungry?" Alice lilts, hopping up from her spot on the couch and clapping her hands together excitedly, "We have potato salad, baked chicken, an assortment of steamed veggies, and for the piece de resistance, me and Rose stayed up late last night and made floor pies!"

"Floor pie?" Seth questions as he takes the tiny girl's spot on the sofa next to me.

"Yep," she states, popping the p, "On Thanksgiving a few years ago, mom was making chocolate mousse pies for dessert and dad tripped, knocking all four to the ground. It was a good thing mom remembered to put the lids on them, or they would have been a total loss. Anyways, when they finally got them picked up, dad opened one of them and discovered that the pie had been destroyed. It devastated mom, but dad, in an effort to assuage her, simply laughed, took a bite, and said that there was nothing wrong with eating floor pie. The name stuck and the pies have been called that ever since."

"I love it!" my older brother yowls and rubs his stomach, "Can we eat now? I'm literally starving to death where I stand, since I finished mowing the backyard for Bella!"

Conversation is kept to a dull roar as we eat in the packed living room, as the kitchen is way too small to fit all of us in. I'm a little disconcerted when Jasper chooses to sit beside me and Gavin as we eat, but he doesn't try anything more than polite interaction as part of the overall chatter surrounding us.

Afterwords, everyone helps to wash up the dishes and pack away the leftovers for Jake and his dad to eat during the week. When we're officially done for the night, I notice Gavin has been way too quiet for my liking. I hurry back into the living room in search of my baby, only to find him snuggling up to Jasper, sound asleep.

Holy hell, they could pass as father and son right now. A thousand what if's spring to mind, leaving me both flabbergasted and flustered. I shake my head in irritation. Dammit Bella, get yourself together girl or you're going to drive yourself mad.

"He asked me to hold him and used the sad puppy eyes on me, I couldn't resist Bella," the man qualifies when he sees my odd expression.

"That's okay, let me get him, I'm heading out," I reach to gather up the sleeping child, but Jasper stops me, "I'll carry him out for you. I'm going to go on home too. After all, we do have school tomorrow," he adds when I hesitate.

"Thank you," I mumble and give out my good nights before leading him out to the truck, using my phone to light the way as we walk.

Jasper is mindful not to wake Gavin up as he settles the boy's small form into his car seat. He quickly steps aside so that I can buckle my son in safely. The awkwardness between us comes back with a vengeance as I close the door and turn around to face him.

The pained expression on his face nearly makes me gasp. "Bella," his hand finds it's place on my face and I instantly want to cry and throw myself into his arms, "When will you be willing to talk about this? I'm sorry I freaked out last night, but to hear you describe what those monsters did to you and then see the unflinching love and devotion you have for your son, the happiness he brings you despite the nightmare that was his conception....I was so fucking furious that I wanted to hunt those fuckers down and make them experience every single thing they put you through. That's why I stayed away, I didn't want you to see me like that or accidentally say something stupid that would scare you. I realize it was really stupid of me and I wish I could take it all back, but instead all I can do is beg your forgiveness and wait for you to be ready to talk to me."

"Tomorrow, after school," I demand in a flat tone, "Follow me home. Mom and dad are taking Gavin shopping so he can pick out a birthday present for me. We can talk without any interruptions. Until then, maybe it would be best to keep our distance so neither of us screw up and say something stupid."

"As you wish," he immediately responds, bringing his other hand to rest on the small of my back, "I'm so sorry for all of this Bella..." the charge flowing between us grows exponentially and I can't help but silently cheer as his mouth drifts closer to mine until the last second, when he seems to catch himself and I scream inwardly as they merely brush my cheek. "You should get going, your boy can't be comfortable sleeping upright like that," I can detect the change in his voice, it's dropped an octave and it's husky timbre caresses my ears.

I can't do a damn thing but nod and allow myself to be lead to the driver's side of the pick up. "I'll see you tomorrow Bella," he states in a more stable voice after helping me inside, "Sweet dreams." He shuts the door before I can answer and I sit dumbly as he jogs across the darkened lawn to his own truck.

Gavin's sleepy mumbling jolts me back to reality and I fire up the engine and throw the truck into gear. Jasper follows me all the way to the mouth of my driveway, where he honks as he passes me by. I get the truck parked in the garage and haul my monster out then carefully carry him up to his bed. After taking his shoes off, I change him into his jammies and tuck him in with a kiss to his forehead.

I replay Jasper's seemingly honest words in my mind as I shower and ready for bed. Could his anger at my attackers really have caused all of this dissension? I guess it's possible, but why would he care so much? He barely knows me. These thoughts continue to plague me as I slowly drift to sleep.

**I know this wasn't the reconciliation you were hoping for, but at least they're a step closer to it!**


	10. Fights, Ice Cream, and a Kiss

**Okay, for everyone who has been waiting patiently for Monday morning, here we go.**

**I own nothing copyrighted.**

Monday morning comes way too soon after a night of broken sleep and unsettling dreams that revolved around various scenarios that could play themselves out today. I continue to lie in bed, watching the sky grow ever lighter, until my alarm warns me that it's time to get up and face my day.

As I move by my desk, I notice that my phone is blinking, so I pick it up. Six new messages. Hmm. I flip it open.

_Baby B, you can do this. Love you sis. -Lee-Lee_

_The opinions of others do not shape you if you do not allow them to- E_

_I will be here if you need me- Rose_

_Remember Mama, you don't mind them because they don't matter- Jake_

_We'll kick their asses if they mess with you- Alice_

And then there is Jasper's, which is short but sweet.

_You are worth it, never forget that- J_

I hold the phone to my chest and fight back the whirlwind of emotions straining to overtake me. For the first time in my life, I have friends who are willing to stand with me.

The pitter-patter of Gavin's tired steps remind me that I still have a day to face and after sending him downstairs for breakfast, I head into my closet with a plan. First, I pull out a deep sapphire blue silk tunic top with three quarter sleeves and a pair of snug fitting boot cut jeans, then rummage around until I unearth my black gladiator sandals that have three inch heels attached to them.

After dressing, I take my time and fix my hair into soft, flowing curls and add a light coating of mascara, eyeliner, and a touch of foundation and powder to even out my skin tone. This is not my area of expertise, but I think I look pretty damn nice when I allow myself a glance into the full sized mirror on my closet door before picking up my bag and making my way down to the kitchen.

I'm met by wolf-whistles and proud smiles as I enter the room, boosting my ego enough to match the grin etched onto my face. "Good morning fellow inmates," I attempt to keep my tone neutral, but dissolve into laughter as dad twists himself into an Egor pose and drags one legs behind him while using the arm not tucked against his chest to bring my plate over.

"Yer soo beeutifull misstresss," he rasps, setting my food on the table and kissing me on the forehead, "Iiss yer fadder gonna need hiisss sshotgun today, perchance?"

I swat his shoulder, still laughing, "Not unless Lauren Mallory counts as a target dad, but I'll keep you posted."

"Oh Bella, don't encourage him," Sue snickers and smacks Emmett's hand as it covertly reaches for another muffin, "Charlie, it's illegal to kill someone for being stupid, I'm sorry to say sweetie."

"Only if you get caught," he counters with a smug grin and a wink, "And being a former agent of the FBI who now works for a national park service as a ranger, I think I know of a few places that the bodies would never be found."

"You're impossible," the woman snorts, then rolls her eyes at her grandson, who has finished eating my slice of pumpkin bread that had been smothered in cream cheese, and is now moving onto to his uncle Seth's food, "Gavin, don't you think you're mom should have gotten to eat breakfast?"

The boy isn't awake enough to even fake looking guilty. He shrugs a shoulder and steals another orange slice from Seth's plate, "Sowwy Mommy," he says half-heartedly before shoving the fruit into his mouth.

My mother hands me another piece of pumpkin bread, "I'll have my phone on me all day kiddo, don't hesitate to call if you need me. Did you put your meds in your bag in case you need them?"

I bob my head, "Yeah I put them in there right alongside the pepper spray, taser, brass knuckles, and garrote. I had to take out the dynamite, my portable catapult, and all six vials of poison, but I'm pretty sure that I can get by without them for one day."

"Ha-ha, you think you're such a comedian," she plants a kiss on the crown of my head, "We probably won't be home until after dark, are you going to make dinner or order out?"

I think about how I'm going to feel after school and then talking to Jasper this evening, "I'll just order dinner mom. If Em and Seth are home, they can pitch in."

"Okay Bells," she gives me a hug after I kiss my baby goodbye, "I hope things go well today."

"That makes two of us," I slide my bag onto my shoulder and head out, not looking forward to what is most likely waiting for me.

Emmett and Seth pass me on the road and make sure to be waiting beside what has become my parking spot with our friends as I pull in. I can feel the inquisitive stares coming from other students as I step onto the blacktop. Immediately Jasper and Rosalie each wind an arm around me protectively.

"We've got your back baby," Rosalie assures me as we weave our way through the crowd, "Hold your head high Isabella, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"She's right darlin'," Jasper agrees with his cousin, his nose buried in my curls, "You are so far above them that it's not even funny and it makes them jealous, don't let them bring you down to their level."

I know they only mean well, but their supportive words cannot muffle the chatter that explodes in the halls as we walk through them, and soon I get the feeling that coming to school was a very bad idea. I spot Lauren and her friends in the same corridor as my English class, and her eyes narrow when she sees that the entire gang has escorted me to first period.

"Someone will be with you at all times B," Emmett states in his smooth baritone, his forehead resting against mine while Seth lays against my shoulder, "If one of them happens to catch you in the few moments that you are alone, don't hesitate to use that pepper spray on them. Don't hit them unless there is no other way, mom already told me that she'll be on standby all day in case one or all of us gets suspended."

"I'm scared Emmy, Seth," I struggle to keep control over myself and the newly risen urge to vomit, "I don't want us to have to move again, I kinda like it here."

"Don't be scared Bellarina," Seth coos, gliding a hand over my auburn hair," We won't go anywhere if you don't want to."

"Not that we would let you go anywhere without us Buttercup," Jake interjects quietly over my open shoulder.

"I'm really sorry to do this, but Bella and I have to get to class," Alice morosely reminds us while reaching out to take my hand, "We don't want to cause any more problems today than we have to."

Everyone makes a point to give me a hug, including Jasper, who's lips linger along my hairline longer than ever before. "Promise that you will call me if you need anything," he urges.

"I promise," I vow in a breathless whisper, "Now go before you're late and get in trouble."

"Like it matters in comparison," he argues, but relents, "Take care of yourself Bella, you mean more to m-us than you will ever know."

"Thank you," I mumble, my face flaring with heat as he cups my cheek and peers intently down on me for a second, then abruptly turns and marches off.

Edward smothers me in a hug before grasping my arms and glaring at me, "Be safe," he commands, only relaxing when I answer with a tiny smile and a nod of the head.

Aside from the continuing stares and occasional annoying comment spoken just loud enough for me to overhear, my morning goes by a hell of a lot easier than I could have hoped for. It helps that I'm never alone for more than a minute or so, as my friends and family take their roles as protectors quite seriously.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

For me, it ends as we walking to the cafeteria and I stop to relieve my screaming bladder. Rosalie asks if I want her to make sure it's empty, but I tell her no because I can't spend my time in school being a complete coward. I should have listened.

"Oh my, if it isn't Skankella Swan, as I live and breathe," a deceptively sensual voice heralds from behind as I wash my hands, "Are you making sure that your stall is nice and clean before you start on your lunchtime clients?"

Fuck me running. "Nope, sorry Lauren, I heard you already had that position filled, in the boys bathroom of course," I fire back, stepping from the sink and tearing off a paper towel to dry my hands, "though I must say that you look damn nice for a tranny. Edward and Jake says it's almost impossible for them to be as convincing as a woman as you are. " Please oh please let Edward and Jake forgive me for that.

Her face transforms into a mask of fury. "You fucking bitch! You can't talk to me like that!" I see her move but am unable to completely dodge her hand as it collides with my shoulder in lieu of my face. The force of the blow drives me back and bounces my head off of the paper towel holder.

With white and black spots disrupting my vision, I do my best to aim before throwing out a punch and feel no small amount of satisfaction as the back of my hand connects with her nose, sending a spray of crimson towards the stalls. I think it was her cry of pain that brings others running, but I keep driving my fists into her until a pair of arms grab me and the aroma of leather and cloves hit my nostrils.

"I've got you darlin'. You got her but good, but you've gotta stop swingin' now so I can get you out of here," Jasper softly commands while he pulls me out of the restroom and down the hall in the direction of the exit. He must sense my confusion because he holds me closer, "We're going out to you're truck, It's where I reckon you would feel safest right now. Alice is right behind us. The others are coverin' our asses."

"Are we leaving then?" I inquire as a smiling Alice holds up my bag and keys, the latter which she passes to Jasper.

"If you want to go home for the day, we can," Alice chirps, bounding down the concrete stairs and onto the pavement, "But Seth told me to make sure that you at least had a quiet lunch hour. I was thinking ice cream."

"Ice cream it is," I acquiesce and allow myself to be pushed into the passenger seat while Alice takes the back seat and Jasper climbs behind the wheel. "Don't crash my truck," I warn him as we back out and onto the road.

They don't press me for any details of what transpired with Lauren, instead opting to act like maniacs and crack really vulgar jokes while we sit in the cab and devour our frozen treats. My brothers are waiting for us when I arrive back at the school.

"Rosalie got tossed for three days," Emmett proudly announces after he and Seth try to suffocate me in their hugs, "She kicked the crap out of Lauren after you guys go out and took credit for the entire fight!"

"Lauren's dad had to leave work and take her to the hospital because the nurse said that her nose, right wrist, and maybe a couple of her ribs and a toe were broken," Seth adds as he kneels down for Alice to scamper up his back, "Remind me not to piss you girls off, I just might end up six feet under between the three of you."

"Don't you forget it buster," the girl on his back chuckles and plants a kiss on the side of his face, "Us girls have to stick together with you crazy ass boys around!"

"I feel bad for Rose, she didn't have to take the fall for me," I glumly confess from Jake and Edward's embrace, "I should go tell the principal that I did it."

"Don't you dare," Edward snaps, the forest green of his eyes turning black, "She loves you as much as the rest of us do and did this to protect you love. This isn't the first time Rosalie has been suspended for defending her friends either. We're the only family, other than Jazz, that she has, and she is fiercely protective of us. She's happy that she could do this for you, don't make her sacrifice be in vain."

I shrug and he pulls me to his chest, "It's going to be alright little Bella, I promise. Now, let's get you to class and forget about this shit for a while."

I take his advice and let my brain go blank as the teacher rambles on about something that holds zero interest for me. When the bell rings, Jake holds onto my hand as we exit and look for Jasper. He hasn't come out yet and so the boys leave me with Alice to see what is holding him.

"Hey Bella, heard you got knocked up and had a little boy a few years back," Tyler Crowley smirks as he stops in front of me, "Too bad you didn't have a girl though, then I could have gotten a two for one deal!"

A feral screech erupts from beside me and then Tyler cries out, his hands flying to his face, as Alice attacks him. "Alice, dont'!" I yell and grab her by her tiny waist. I can barely contain her writhing form as she struggles, "Don't you ever talk about Bella and her son like that! I will fucking castrate you!"

"You ripped my face open, you whore! It's no wonder you and that slut get along so well, you probably share all the same diseases!" he shouts back, five long red lines streaming down his face. Then he suddenly disappears as three men tackle him to the ground, one with inky black hair, another with blazing copper, and the last with sun kissed honey locks.

Everyone starts shouting and yelling at once, but one voice rises above the din. "Keep your fucking hands off of my friends and my girl, you motherfucking douchebag!"

What?! Did he just say what I think he said?

"Yes he did," Alice answers smugly, her arms now wrapped around me tightly.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yep," she giggles and lays her head on my arm.

"Do you think he means it?"

"Yep," she repeats and gives me a squeeze, "Don't worry Bella, you two are perfect for each other."

It doesn't take long for teachers to appear and pull the scrapping boys apart. Somehow I'm lucky enough that Jasper ends up standing with Alice and me. "So...." he grins, tucking his thumbs into his pockets to avoid jostling his bloodied hands, "How about all this rain?"

"Are you seriously going to ask me about the weather?" I gasp, exasperated, "And who in the hell said that I was your girl?"

Just then, one of the bigger teachers grabs his arm. He resists the man for a moment and in a flash, I feel the warmth of his lips against mine. "I did," he winks as the teacher yanks him back and starts dragging him down the hall, "I think I'm going to be a little late for our talk tonight!" his accent is prevalent as he yells, "I hope that's okay!"

"It's more than okay!" I call back only a second before he is pulled out of the building and out of my sight.

"Edward so owes me a Porsche," the girl holding on to me announces, "He said that it would take you guys at least until Halloween. I told him it was going to happen by your birthday, at the latest."

"You guys were betting on whether Jasper and I would get together?" I snarl as she lets me go and starts walking beside me.

"Not whether you would deary, when you would," she clarifies and pushes me outside at the last second, "Classes have been ruined for the day, we're just jumping ship a little early, and since I rode with my brother today, we're taking your beast."

"But where are we going? I have to be home right after school Ali," I protest but know that I'm going to lose. It's never a good thing to argue with Alice Brandon.

"Duh, we're going to tell Rose the good news!" she exclaims and hops up into the truck, "She's going to be pissed that she wasn't there to see him kiss you!"

"Alice," I groan but she cuts me off.

"What if I promised to only keep you the hour, so you still get home on time and can get ready for your little 'talk' with Jasper?" she pleads, giving me the full force of her sad eyes.

"Ugh! Alright! Just stop looking at me like that!" I growl and start the engine, hoping that I get out of this in one piece.

**Is it what you were hoping for? Maybe not, but at least we know that Jasper has definitely made a choice!**


	11. The Price of Insanity

**Doesn't everyone want someone like Jasper? I know I do :-)**

**This chapter contains graphic descriptions of child molestation by a parent. If this offends you, don't read this chapter. Also, if this gets yanked from ff, come find my coffeeshop or rogue account. Can't stop the signal!**

**Sorry, still don't own anything but the plot and the wunderbaby known as Gavin.**

Alice babbles animatedly about the events of the day, intermittently barking out directions to Rosalie's house. I am more than content to let her talk as I drive, it allows my mind to drift back to what I've dubbed The Kiss. My lips tingle in remembrance of how his molded to mine perfectly and for the first time, I understand what my sister tried to tell me about lust and desire.

I want him.

But before that can ever happen, we have to work out what this is going to be. I don't expect him to suddenly become Gavin's father or anything, but if he wants this to be more than a casual, high school fling, he is going to have to understand that Gavin will be a very large part of our relationship.

Oh hell, maybe this wasn't such a good thing after all. He's not Emmett or Seth, who don't mind a pint sized sidekick following them around all the time. Not to mention that he's only a senior in high school, he doesn't have to worry about bedtimes and preschool and what foods his child likes or dislikes, that's my life. How could he ever want anything like this? That's easy. He won't. He'll get fed up with it after a few months and then it will just be Gavin and me again.

"You're over thinking things again Bella," Alice pokes me in the side, making me wince, "Edward gets the same look on his face when he starts looking deeper into something that has no depth. Jasper and you were meant to be together, and that means everything will work out. I've seen it."

"What, are you psychic now?" I turn on to a cobblestone lane at her gesture, "You can't know what is going to happen Alice, life is too unpredictable."

"I didn't say that I was psychic," she defends with a huff, "I just get these feelings about stuff and they usually turn out to be right. Everyone has learned not to make bets with me. Except Edward, and that's only once in a great while. I'm glad that he does though, because now I'll be getting a Porsche for Christmas! Or maybe Bugatti Ooh! Maybe I should get a Skyline like Rose! No! I want the Mercedes SLS AMG! But in canary yellow!"

"Why canary yellow?" I can't help but ask, "Why not blue or silver? You know, something a little more sophisticated?"

"Two reasons," she holds up the same amount of fingers, "One. It would make my brother cry like a baby to use that color on such an amazing piece of machinery. Two. I like yellow, it's pretty and uplifting. Either way, if I get bored with it, I can always have it painted another color."

"But why be so wasteful and not have it painted the color you really want?" I shake my head in confusion, "Sorry, maybe it's the mom in me, but I can't get passed how much money it's going to take to keep getting it repainted simply because you wanted to irritate Edward."

"Don't you ever do anything to harass Em and Seth?" she retaliates, her arms crossed over her chest defensively.

"I do, but I don't waste thousands of dollars, a lot of people's valuable time, and an expensive piece of machinery to do it," I answer truthfully, "I usually do things like pour itching powder in their workout clothes or stick all of their underwear in the deep freeze. One time, I swapped Emmett's shower gel with Nair and he lost all of his body hair."

"You didn't!" she laughs as a massive manor house comes into view, "Oh, go around that to the two guest houses behind it. Rosalie refuses to live in the mansion and Jasper followed her lead when he moved in. Technically the second guest house is Jasper's but it's easier for them financially to combine their bills and stuff. That way, they can save what's left of their monthly allowance in bank accounts that Rose's mom and dad have nothing to do with."

"Huh, that's cool, I guess," I hit the brakes and put the vehicle in park, killing the engine as the Amazon emerges to see who's arrived.

"Jasper kissed Bella! Jasper kissed Bella!" Alice throws herself at the woman, her words flying out at super sonic speeds as she describes what happened earlier.

"I didn't think he had the balls to make the first move," Rose finally admits after we have migrated inside, gotten some ice for my sore hands, and taken up residence in her living room, "I thought you were going to have to be the one to do it Bells. Jasper isn't very good at this sort of thing. He's only had one girlfriend before and she turned out to be nearly as big of a lunatic as aunt Lucy. His mom," she adds when I go to ask, "Maria was a special brand of psychotic. She threatened to hunt him down and kill him when they broke up. So far nobody has seen hide nor hair of the crazy bitch, but my cuz says that it's only a matter of time before she finds him."

"Should I worry about some escaped mental patient showing up at my door?" The thought makes me shudder.

She lays a hand on my knee, "If she ever was stupid enough to come here, Jasper would never let her get that close to you or Gavin."

"Ladies, we're not here to discuss the stability of Jasper's former flames," Alice chides, throwing a few grapes at us, "We are here to discuss Bella's bout of kicking ass, Jasper's daring rescue, and the not so innocent kiss that is still making Bella turn bright red when she thinks of it!"

Laughing, I try to cover my cheeks, but that only makes them laugh harder. "I can't help it!"

The mood comes crashing down when Rosalie's phone chirps. "It's Royce, I'll be right back," she is up and darting out of the room before we have time to answer. That is not the Rosalie Hale that I know and respect. Who the hell is this guy who can make her act so unnaturally?

"She broke up with him last night and he's been calling her all day," Alice spits venomously, "At least she went and got a restraining order like me, Jasper, and Edward begged her to. The bastard thinks that because his daddy made it big on Wall Street that he can do anything he wants."

"Would he really hurt her?" worry for my friend increases tenfold as my friend gives a barely perceptible nod, "Oh no, is there anything we can do?"

"The same thing we're doing for you, we keep an eye on her," she gives me a hug, then stands, "This could take a while and school is letting out in a few minutes. Why don't you take off? I'll stay. I might even call Edward and Jake to come over since Emmett and Seth were coming over and then you and Jasper can maybe join us when you're done talking?"

"Why don't I just call Jasper and have him meet me here?" I offer, pulling out my phone, "We can go over to the other house and have our chat, then join everyone over here when we're done. This way we're not far if Royce or some of his friends decide to show. Hell, I can get mom and dad to watch Gavin for the night and I'll stay the night here with her."

Alice's smile is blinding. "We get get everyone to stay over tonight! This might be a guest house, but it has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a frikkin' jacuzzi on the back porch, so there is more than enough room for everybody and if anyone is feeling a bit frisky, they can head over to Jasper's for a bit so none of us accidentally walk in on it! Brilliant! You call Jazz and your parents, I'll call the boys."

I call my mom's cell and explain what is going on with Rose as she listens intently. When I suggest the idea of everyone staying over at her house since her parents are still overseas, I almost fall on my ass when she asks if I want her and my dad to keep Gavin for the night before I can ask it myself. I thank her about thirty times before I promise to call if there is any trouble and hang up.

"Well, what did she say?" the pixie asks, attempting to keep her bouncing to a minimum but only seeming to resemble a trembling chihuahua to me.

"I'm going to have to go home and pack a bag so I don't end up scrambling out of bed at four in the morning to shower and change," I proclaim with a smile, then wince as she starts that damn squealing again, "Now I'm going outside to call Jasper before I go deaf."

She yells an affirmation as I let the door fall closed behind me. I hit the speed dial and wait for Jasper to answer.

"Heya," I can hear the smile in his voice, "What can I do you for darlin'?"

"Um, Royce is still calling and harassing Rose so Alice concocted a plan for all of us to stay at you guys' house tonight," I kick the front tire of my truck, "That's where I am now, actually, but I'm going to have to run home when everyone gets here so I can pack a bag."

"I figured that when Emmett called me and asked about some kind of sleepover that your mom called him over. I'm coming up the drive now sugar," I turn my head to see his big silver truck cresting the hill, " Him and Seth are coming straight here and I'm going to go with you to your house so you won't be alone. This kind of thing wouldn't be such an issue normally, but Jake and Edward had to take Billy to a doctor's appointment and won't be coming till around six, so we're short a few hands until then."

"I told Alice that you and I could go over to the other guest house to talk so we weren't too far away to help if something happened, is that okay with you?"

"That's fine angel, I've been searching for a way to get you alone for days," he answers and suddenly the connotations of him and I being alone in a house alone together takes on a new meaning.

The line goes dead as he parks next to me and jumps down. My feet carry me over to him in a flash, but I stop short of touching him. His hands are scraped and bruised and there are a couple of scratches on his face. A black bandanna covers his hair, but he tugs it off when he notices my unconscious frown at the fabric. "I forgot my hat today and it was getting in my eyes," he admits sheepishly, "And on top of that, Jake took my last rubber band thing that I tie my hair back with."

"My brothers are here," I point over his shoulder towards the green Rubicon barreling up the road, "Are we taking my truck or yours over to my place?"

"Would you feel more comfortable if we took yours?" he inquires, then grins when I shrug and start walking to it. "I guess we're taking yours then."

"No shit, really? I thought we'd just walk the whole way, just to annoy all the rich people that live around here," I snark and wait for him to follow me into the pick up.

As I navigate the beast, as it has been dubbed, Jasper takes my hand. "Before we end up communicating to the point that we can't function around each other, there are some things that you need to know," he begins, "I know that you believe that I spazzed out on Saturday over you being raped. That is partly true, I confess. It's also because I couldn't save you from that pain. And then I hate the fact that those creeps had anything to do with the creation of something as bright and pure as Gavin. But there is more to it. So much more...."

"Jasper, we don't have to do this now, if you don't want to," I try to placate him, "With this stuff going with Rose and Royce, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted more time."

"No," he barks, his head bouncing off the window, "We will never be able to move forward, even as friends, if you don't understand the whole reason behind my little episode. I have to tell you this just as much as you felt that you had to tell us about what happened to you."

"When I was seven years old, my dad, who was a Navy pilot, was killed in a training accident. My mother, who had been battling with mental illness her entire life, snapped. She began drinking all the time and started forgetting to take her meds.....forgetting to feed, bathe, or pay any attention to me or my two year old sister Nettie. Her real name was Natalie, but everyone called her by her nickname. She was an angel with the biggest blue eyes you've ever seen and long curly white blonde hair. And here I was, barely more than a baby myself, having to take care of my mother and little sister."

"When you say was..." I ask in a small voice as we stop in front of my house. Rosalie and Alice's advice on how to deal with his confession come to the forefront and I do my best to keep my posture relaxed and my face calm.

"She died in the fire, but I'll get to that," he replies in the same dead voice he'd been relaying his story with as he walks in step with me, "Anyways. Three months after the new routine of my life began, my mother stumbled into my room one night, drunk as a skunk and stark naked. I was horrified when she laid down beside me and informed me in her drunken slur that I was man of the house now and, with that title, came a new set of responsibilities. I cried as she stripped me down and started sucking me off. It went from that to her showing me how a woman wanted to be touched by a man. That was the first of many nocturnal visits from my darling mother."

"Oh my god," forgetting my friends words, I drop the bag I'd been pulling out for my clothes, and reach out for one of his hands, "I'm so sorry Jasper."

"Don't feel sorry for me Bella, at least I survived her insanity," he growls, his gaze flinty, and shrugs my hand off, "Finish packing, we can't be gone too long."

I silently heed his request and soon we are once again on the road. "By the time I was nine, I no longer slept in my own room, but in hers, and if I hadn't been a child who was regularly having sex with his own mother, I could have bragged that I knew twelve different ways to make a woman orgasm with just my tongue and fingers. At ten, she surmised that my cock was big enough to fuck her with, so she taught me that next. On Christmas when I was thirteen, I gave her anal for the first time. When I was fifteen, she began watching Nettie for hours at a time and I knew that look. It was the same look she gave me when she wanted sex. So, for the first time, I began initiating things to distract her from my ten year old sister."

He falls silent as we park in front of the empty guest house and walk in, but immediately picks back up as soon as we're inside.

"That was also the year that I met Maria. She was everything my mom wasn't. Petite, curvy, olive skinned, dark haired, and willing to let me do any damn thing I wanted to her. I should have known then that she wasn't right in the head. We never made love, and even though I thought I did love her, I took her like an animal as often as I could to wash my mother's sweat from my skin. I was never gentle, some part of me taking my anger, my pain, my revenge, out on her. She never complained once. Not when I took her, not when I wouldn't lay with her until she gave me a couple of dollars to get food....never. Not until she asked me to fuck her and her mom at the same time, that is. I told her that we were through and got the hell out of Dodge as fast as my feet would carry me while Maria screamed that she would hunt me down and murder me in my sleep for rejecting her like that. This shit happened on the day before my sixteenth birthday."

He pauses to take a deep breath before walking over to the mantle and picking up a pack of cigarettes. He opens it and takes one out, lighting it with a silver lighter out of his jeans pocket.

"When I got home, mom was furious. She'd broken every fucking dish we own while I'd been gone. Nettie had hidden in her room, pushing her dresser against the door to keep mom out. Mom screamed like a banshee for over an hour, then passed out on the pile of busted ceramic. I carried her up to our room and put her in bed before checking on my sister, who was asleep by then, and crashed out myself after cleaning everything up."

"The next day, I woke up around noon to mom singing while making breakfast. I was just glad that she's in a better mood, so I didn't ask where Nettie was or why she was so damn happy. She'd been downright bubbly as I ate the god awful pancakes she'd made, and kept telling me that because it's my sweet sixteen, she had something very special planned for me."

"When I couldn't choke down anymore, she blindfolded me and led me upstairs. My stomach was already threatening to reject the garbage I'd put in it, but finally did good on it's threat when mom took the blindfold off to reveal my baby sister, tied to the bedposts, drugged out of her skull and bare as the day she was born. Mom reprimanded me for making a mess, then went on to tell me that Nettie was my present and we we going to share her. I flipped the fuck out. That was the first and only time I have ever hit a woman in my life. But I underestimated her."

While I untied my sister and picked her up, mom had grabbed dad's old aluminum baseball bat from under the bed. She waited until I was at the stairs to hit me in the back. I dropped Nettie and both of us tumbled down the stairs. I hit my head at some point and was knocked out. I didn't come to until after she'd already set the house on fire. I tried to find my mom and sister, but the smoke was too thick. I had just reached the stairs, which were aflame as well, when a couple for firemen burst through the door and grabbed me. I fought and fought, screaming for my sister as they carried me out, but all that got me was sedated."

I see the tears rolling down his cheeks, but know better than to speak, so I scoot over beside him and take his hand again.

"Six days later, I woke up, covered in burns and wondering where mom and Nettie were at. The doctor wouldn't tell me shit and it took another day for Uncle Jack, mom's half brother and Rosalie's dad, and his wife Vivianne to show up and tell me that mom finally succeeded in killing herself but managed to take my sister with her. So sorry. I saw them twice in the eight months I was locked up in that fucking place. The day they told me that my mom and sister were dead, and the day they had to sign papers for me to be transferred to a rehab facility. Rose was the one who came down to get me when I moved up here. She doesn't know everything, none of them do."

For the first time since he began his story, his electric blue eyes connect with my green ones, "I didn't think I would ever be able to tell another soul what happened. Until you bared your soul to us in that meadow. That night, after I'd talked myself out of hunting down those motherfuckers, I knew that the only way we would ever be able to be together was if I told you everything. So....now you know."

There is only one answer that comes to mind. "And I'm still here, with you. Nothing is going to change that." Then I seal it with a kiss.

**Yikes that was hard to write. Give a girl a boost and leave a review?**


	12. Fix Me, Fix You

**I know the last chapter was a bitter pill to swallow, but I never promised that Jasper's story would be an easy one. Thank you to all of my readers who haven't lost faith in me and are still here reading.**

**Nope, still don't own.**

Not many words are exchanged throughout the evening between Jasper and me as we finish our homework and listen to the others talk, but we're never far from the other. The full impact of his tale hits both of us soon after the pizzas Emmett ordered arrive, and we use the distraction to retreat to Jasper's room, which is ironically enough, situated in the attic of the abode.

"I guess it's proof that great minds really do think alike," he shrugs, seeing the realization flicker across my features, and then gently pulls me across the threshold of his sanctuary.

The first thing I notice, other than the space is infinitely cleaner than either of my brothers rooms, are the number of guitars that are hanging from the wall on either side of the stairwell. "I take it you play?" I keep my voice low while resisting the compulsion to reach out and touch the instruments.

He pads over, now barefoot after shedding his boots, and hands me a bottle of water from the mini fridge that sits beside his entertainment center. "I sure as hell hope so, otherwise I spent way too much money on decorating the place. What about you, do you play anything?"

I take a long drink then shake my head as I twist the cap back on, "No, I'm not coordinated enough. Charlie, Em, Leah, and Seth play a couple of instruments and Sue can play the mandolin and piano though. I'm the only talentless one of the bunch."

Suddenly he is standing at my back and winds his arms around me. My head instinctively falls back against his chest. It just feels right, even with the maelstrom of unspoken questions flying around in my head. "I would never call you talentless sugar. You forget that I've seen you not only take care of your little boy, but juggle two overprotective brothers, and then still have time for all of us other crazies without missing a thing. If that isn't a talent, I don't know what is."

"Jasper, I can trust you with Gavin, right?" I feel his body stiffen as soon as the words are out of my mouth.

"Bella..." his arms loosen and he slowly turns me around to face him. His eyes are so sad as he takes my hands in his, "I would be lying if I wasn't scared to death of turning into the monster my mother tried to mold me into. I worry every fucking day that I'm going to start having these sick fantasies of doing those things that she did to me to someone else. I'm already a twisted monster, there is no escaping that. But," he releases one of my hands and lifts his own to its place on my cheek, "I have never, ever thought a single immoral or indecent thing about your son. And if it ever happens, I'm going to put a bullet in my brain before I can hurt anyone. This I promise, no, I swear to you on everything I hold dear. Can you believe me despite knowing my past?"

"I believe you Jasper," I answer, then gasp, "Oh god. The day you met Gavin, when you froze and I told you that you wouldn't hurt him!"

He nods and presses a soft kiss against my lips before replying, "Yes. I hadn't been around any small kids since my sister had been that size. I was so scared that something inside of me would just snap and leave nothing but the creature my mother had created, but then you said those words and I knew I had to be brave and face my fears. For him. For you."

"Oh Jasper..." I being, but am silenced as his mouth covers mine.

Our lips move together in perfect rhythm, like they were always meant to be like this. Without thinking, my hands find their way up to his flaxen curls and pull him ever closer to me. Part of my mind is flabbergasted that I'm not struck with the horrific visions of my assault, but the rest is cheering madly that I am finally experiencing something more than a chaste kiss.

My victorious thoughts are shattered though, when his hands drift down my body, grabs my hips and, with a muffled groan, grinds his very evident arousal against my stomach. With the combined stress of the day, his motions, and the sound of his moaning, my brain snaps and begins thrusting out images of James on top of me, growling as he forced himself inside of my body.

"No! Stop!" I hear myself scream and begin pounding my fists against his chest when he refuses to release me, "Let me go!" The screams get louder as I clamp my eyes shut against the barrage in my skull and vaguely notice sliding to the ground, Jasper still holding me to him.

"What the hell did you do to her Whitlock?" Seth's cry gets my attention. It only takes a few seconds before Seth's warmer body takes the place of Jasper's and I fall limp against him. "Edward, get Bella's bag and bring it up, it has her medicine in it," he orders, then leans close and whispers in a soothing tone, "It's okay Bella, I've got you honey. Sshh, calm down, no one is going to hurt you, you're safe."

The room is silent except for the occasional shuffling of feet until Edward's soft steps draw close. I don't bother opening my eyes as a pill is held to my mouth, then a bottle of water. I have no idea how much time passes while my brothers hold me, stroking my hair and whispering soothing words in gentle tones.

"He didn't mean—don't hurt him. I had---I could feel James on me," I finally try to explain amidst my slowly dissipating sobs, "I'm sorry Jasper. I didn't know that I would react like that."

"There is nothing to apologize for," he replies, his voice farther away now, "This is all on me and there are no words for how sorry I am angel."

"Do you want me to call uncle Allen or Aunt Mischa?" Emmett interrupts me as I draw a breath to answer Jasper.

I shake my head and finally open my eyes, "No Em, I'm doing a lot better now. Thanks for the offer though."

"I swear Mama, I thought Jasper was murdering you when I heard that scream," Jake lets out a light chuckle, "I was all for scalping the pale face over there until you started babbling about James and flashbacks."

"I'm sorry Jake, I don't know what to say," I give Jasper a 'shut the hell up' look when he tries to answer, "I guess it's more difficult for me to be close to people than I thought. All Jasper did was give me a hug and kiss me, but I accidentally steeped on his foot in the process and when he groaned in pain, I freaked out." I know he didn't mean to scare me when he pushed his rather impressive erection against me, but I highly doubt my brothers would accept that. "Yes, he might have made a mistake by not letting me go, but he didn't know any better. He was doing what he thought was best."

"Well, it's almost eleven Belly-bean," Emmett thankfully moves on to another subject, "Why don't you go take a hot shower and try to relax some before going to bed? Rose said that you girls can all sleep in her room tonight, if you want."

"She said that she didn't want to be alone," Edward adds, holding out his hand to help me to my feet, "And we all know that Rosalie hates feeling vulnerable."

"She's not the only one. I'll go down in a minute, something I have to do first," I mutter and determinedly make my way over to Jasper, who looks like he's ready to dive out of the nearest window. "I'm sorry Jasper. This is exactly what I was afraid of though. You're pulling away from me because I'm screwed in the head. I'm not going to stop you, but please know that none of this is your fault."

His lips curl into an embittered smirk, "It's not you, it's me, right?"

I force myself to lay a hand on his arm, "Yes. It is me Jasper. This is who I am and I have to live with it every damn day of my life, just like you have to battle your ghosts in yours. And like you, I'm trying to get better, be better, but I don't always succeed. Unfortunately you were here to witness one of my many failures."

A shuddering breath escapes him and his eyes fall closed as I move my hand to cup his cheek. "Bella...You scared the hell out of me and I didn't know what to do. I tried to hold you and tell you that you were safe, but I just made things worse....."

"Then I will show you what I know works," I persist, trying not to let even more tears fall tonight, "And I'm sure that my brothers can show you a few tricks to calm me down that they've learned over the years. Look at me," I shake his head until I'm graced with the sight of his sparkling azure pools, "We both know that neither of us are normal and that we're going to have to deal with the good and the bad if we want this to work, right? Well, this is part of the bad. If you don't want this--"

"I want you," he replies fervently, his hand clamping down over my own.

"Then we learn how to get through this, together," I surmise and kiss the underside of his jaw before taking his hand, turning it palm up, and pressing my lips to it as well. "Goodnight Jasper."

"Sweet sleep, my angel," he responds and carefully lays a kiss on my temple before letting me go.

Emmett helps me down the stairs because my legs are still a little shaky, then walks me down to Rosalie's bedroom. When we reach the door, he stops me as I start to enter. "Are you sure you're okay Bella? Maybe it would be best if me or Seth took you home."

I quickly squash the wave of irritation that rolls over me. He's just being his overprotective self. "I'm not the best Em, I'll be honest, but there is no fucking way that I'm leaving Rosalie when she's scared out of her wits like this. She needs all of us to be here for her, and if you try to make me leave now, I'm going to kick you in the baby makers so fucking hard that you'll think you've had a sex change."

"Did you seriously just call my bits of junk baby makers?" he snorts incredulously, "You always say the weirdest shit Bellaboo."

"And you love me for it," I cheekily respond, knowing that he won't argue with me now.

"I do, now get your ass in there," he nudges me with his shoulder and waits until I shut the door behind me to walk away.

Rosalie and Alice, already showered and in their pj's, rush over with worried expressions. "Are you okay B?" Alice gushes in a quiet tone like she's expecting me to go off at any loud noise or something, "The boys wouldn't let us come up, it was like they were afraid we were going to get hurt."

"You might have been," I admit, my shoulders slumping with guilt, "I was really out of it for a couple of minutes until Em and Seth made me to take one of my pills and helped me calm down."

"What happened?" my blonde friend inquires as I notice my bag sitting on the floor and pad over to retrieve my toiletries and night clothes.

"Jasper kissed me, I stepped on his foot, he growled, causing me to have a flashback," I answer flatly, grateful and yet irritated with their obvious concern for me, "I don't mean to cut you off, but I need to take a shower, I'll be back in a few."

The girls look startled at my sudden coldness, but the urge to cry, scream, and scrub my skin off all at the same time is too much to deal with in front of them. To my relative delight, the bathroom door is wide open so I don't have to look like an idiot and ask for directions.

After locking the door, I don't bother looking closer at the luxurious space while I strip my clothes off and head straight for the walk in shower. After getting the water as hot as my skin can safely tolerate, I step under the steamy spray with a gasp. Upon making contact with the scalding hot liquid, the more sensitive scars on my body wail in agony and drive me to my knees. Refusing to give in to the pain, I solidify my resolve and reach for the soap, bypassing the comfort of a wash cloth or soft loofah to clean my body with.

Time seems to suspend itself as I scrub the memories away, only to announce its passage when my pants begin ringing. With a raw, red hand, I reach out and collect my phone. I don't say a word, my teeth are clenched too tightly.

"Your brothers have been banging on the bathroom door for twenty minutes sugar," my favorite voice in the world washes over me, "Rosie couldn't' find the key so they were getting ready to build a battering ram and break the door down until Alice and I convinced them to let me call you. She told them that you would answer for me and you didn't disappoint, not that you ever could."

He pauses, waiting for an answer, but I don't have one to give. A few seconds tick by and he seems to understand. "I guess it's a good thing that all of the hot water comes from the commercial sized heater at the big house, or else I'd reckon you'd be shiverin' like a leaf about now. I can tell that you really don't want to talk right now, and I'm okay with that, so how about you hit a button every now and again so that I know you're still with me?"

With a trembling finger, I press a number once then stick it back to my ear.

"Thank you so much angel," the smile in his voice causes my own lips to twitch in response.

He doesn't make things awkward as he talks about nothing and everything, not even mentioning when he hears me turn the shower off and then crawl onto the rug sitting in front of the enclosure. He simply suggests that I cover up with a towel or steal his cousin's thick robe from the hook on the door and put it on so I didn't end up with a cold. At some point, he informs me that his throat is getting a little sore so he is going to play the guitar for me. I show my appreciation by hitting a few buttons, which makes him laugh that those noises are the oddest applause he's ever heard, then thanks me again for answering.

By the time he tires of playing and moves on to telling me about the unique beauty of Texas, my eyes are growing heavy. I hear the door knob jiggle once and almost jump up to hide in the shower again, but then his scent invades my senses and I relax onto the rug again. At first he keeps his distance, stills talking quietly about nonsensical things, but eventually moves closer and closer until he is laying down at my back, one arm lightly draped over me.

He starts singing a song under his breath that I don't recognize and I have to fight through the haze to hear the words. "_Tears stream, down your face, When you lose something you cannot replace, Tears stream down your face and I..., Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones, And I will try to fix you..._." His melodic tone trails off and as I begin to drift father away, he gently brushes the hair away from my temple before softly pressing his lips to my skin, then sighs, "I'm going to make it go away Bella. I swear that I will do whatever it takes to make you better. I won't let what those bastards did rule your life anymore."

_Thank you for not giving up on me Jasper. You don't know how much it means to me._

"I'll never give up on you Bella," his lips move against my ear lobe, "You've given me something I've never had before, a reason to live. Now sleep, my angel. I promise that I'll be here when you wake up."

**The song Jasper was singing to Bella was Fix You by Coldplay. I don't own it either.**


	13. When did this happen?

**I'm looking for a better (free) banner maker so I can make a nicer one for this story, anyone have a suggestion? Be careful though, I am dreadfully computer stupid.**

**And one more quick question. How many of you who've read my other stories did a facepalm when Emmett mentioned Allen and Mischa?**

**I don't own any copyrighted material.**

As I rise into consciousness, I quickly realize that I'm no longer laying on Rosalie's bathroom floor, but rather a very comfortable bed. And it's in Jasper's room. The third realization of the day is that there is a pair of arms around my waist and their owner is snoring softly in my ear.

I squirm and wiggle until I find that Jasper, his messy curls hiding his face, is the one making the noise. I swallow back a laugh as he exhales and blows the hair away from his face momentarily before it falls back against his skin. Then I notice that he is shirtless.

I finally have a chance to look at the tattoo that starts just above his left nipple, goes over the shoulder, and takes up the left side of his torso. "Holy shit," I whisper to myself when I discover that it isn't just any old bird, like I'd thought, it's a phoenix. Alice wasn't kidding when she said that we were made for each other. I'm so enraptured with the creature, my fingers lingering on the bright blues, greens, and multitude of other colors, that it doesn't register that the snoring has ceased.

"You aren't the only one who came out of the other side of a fire a different person," his timbre is gruff with sleep, making him sound like he is almost purring, "You have no idea how good your touch feels Bella. So soft..."

I push on him gently, indicating that I want him to roll over onto his back, and he obeys, tucking his hands behind his head as he does so. I sit up on my haunches and begin to slowly glide my hands over his skin, tracing every line, scar, and muscle as I move. A smug grin plays on my face as the low rumbling sounds returns immediately.

"You sound like a happy tiger, making those sounds," I comment, earning a sleepy smirk, "Who brought me up to your room? I'm too damn heavy for you to carry on your own."

"Emmett carried you, only because I was so out of it that I was afraid that I'd drop you," he rumbles, his right hand reaching out and twirling one of my red brown curls between his fingers, "And you will never be too big for me to carry darlin'."

"Hhmm," I answer noncommittally and we fall into an easy silence, me continuing to massage his lanky frame, until I remember what day it is. "Oh crap! We're late for school!" I move to get off the bed and Jasper grabs my hand, "Bella stop sweetheart. We're not late. None of us went today. Edward, Jake, and I are out for three days like Rose anyways. All the parental units were called and told what was going on. They, in turn, informed the school about our collective absence so it's been taken care of."

"What about Gavin?" I can't help but fret. He is my responsibility after all.

"Emmett told me something about your mom and dad taking him out for breakfast before your dad goes to work and then your mom is going to get in some one on one time with him before dropping him off here." He tugs on my hand until I allow myself to be pulled down, my head resting on his smooth chest. "You seem to be handling things much better now, that's good," he muses after my body is settled alongside his.

"Wow, that was random," I chortle while raising our linked hands into a beam of sunshine that is flowing across the bed, "I think that the stress of starting school, both of our confessions, Rosalie's trouble with Royce, and the stuff at school was bothering me more than I'd realized and last night, the tension was so thick and I just broke when you came on to me so aggressively. I'm still thoroughly disgusted with myself for that, by the way."

"Don't be," Jasper chides, "Like we talked about last night, we're going to have to deal with the good and the bad. In this case, I'm going to have to learn what not to do so we can minimize the chance of triggering a flashback or something." The silence around us is unexpectedly broken by the sound of a dog barking downstairs. "Ah, that's Edward and Jake's wolf-dog, Nessie. She stays at Edward and Alice's because she's too big for Jake's dad's house. Edward went and got her last night so his parents didn't have to wrangle her into the car and bring her over this morning."

"How big is she?"

"She's half wolf and half king shepherd. A king shepherd is a german shepherd, but super sized," he scratches the strawberry blond stubble on his chin thoughtfully, "I'd have to say the she was about four foot, from floor to the tips of her ears and around five or so feet long. Nessie's a big baby though, unless she's in guard mode."

"Ah. Well, it sounds like she'll get along great with Emmett and Seth then," I deadpan, then extricate myself from the young mans embrace. "My bladder is going to explode and I have to brush my teeth," I explain when he tries to lure me back with a well timed pout.

I quickly make my rounds in the bathroom and for the first time, notice that someone had put my pajamas on my sleeping form at some point last night. A ripple of fear crashes through me as thoughts of Jasper seeing me unclothed, lying on the marble floor of Rosalie's bathroom make their way to the forefront. Dammit, as if he needed any more ammo to justify a rejection. When will the bottom drop out? When will he reach his limit and decree that he's had enough?

"Angel?" Jasper calls through the door, "Rose just brought your bag up and told me that breakfast is done. Are you up to being around everyone or do you want me to fix you a plate and bring it up?"

I swing the door open and find him leaning against the frame, his arms and ankles crossed. "I'll come down, just let me get dressed." He bobs his head in agreement and after giving me a kiss on the cheek, strolls into the bathroom while I head out to change.

I unzip the blue canvas gym bag and promptly yank on my clothes, not wanting anyone to catch me in the nude again so soon. Just as I tug the hem of my tee shirt over my jeans, Jasper emerges from the bathroom fully dressed and his wet hair slicked back. His white shirt is damp and is clinging to his toned chest like a second skin. Fuck, I can see the outline of his tattoo through the thin fabric. As my gaze drops lower, it's Bella ala Puddle time. His blue jeans are hanging low on his hips but still manage to hug him in all the right places.

He catches my outright ogling and pauses, "You enjoying the view sugar?"

Oh god yes. So much that I think I need to change my underwear, again.

"So am I sugar, so am I," he grins and I immediately flush, then become horrified.

"I thought out loud again, huh?" I breathe a whisper while covering my face in shame. "I can't fucking believe you heard that."

In a heartbeat, his hands are covering mine and he's drawing them away, "Bella baby, don't be embarrassed please. You like the way I look and vice versa, there is nothing wrong with that."

"But the difference is that you look like, well, you, and I'm a fat cow with frizzy hair and stretch marks and-" his lips silence my self depreciation.

Although he is careful that his hands on my face are the only parts of his body making contact with mine, there is no doubting his passion or his emotion as he leads our intimate ballet. When no dark images manifest, I throw myself into the kiss, hoping to convey how much he means to me, how grateful I am that he's taking a chance on me, thanking him for sharing the deepest, darkest recesses of his soul.

"Wow," he pants when we have to part for air, "That has to be the second best kiss of my life. It's only surpassed by the first time I got to kiss you, even if it happened while I was being dragged out by a teacher."

Oh hell, I'd forgotten about his, Jake's, and Edward's suspensions. "Speaking of, don't think I'm not a little put out with you three for getting thrown out of school over me."

"It will work itself out sweetheart," he hurries to assuage me, "You'll still have your brothers and Alice there to keep an eye on you. I'm upset that I'll be losing more time with you, but it was well worth it. No one talks about my girl and her son like that."

"I could have handled him just fine on my own," I growl spitefully and push away from him in a huff.

I just reach the stairs when he catches up, "I can't say that I'm sorry for what we did Bella, because you mean so much to us, and I know that you are able to take care of yourself, you have for almost eighteen years, but just because you can, doesn't mean you always have to. Not when you have me, your brothers, and the rest of the gang around to take up the slack. We take care of each other because we're a family, whether we share blood or not."

"I..." what do you say about something like that? "Thank you."

"No, thank you. Not only for being gracious about it but about letting me, us into your life in the first place," the blues in his eyes dance with emotion as he leans in for another kiss. As we move, his tongue slides along my lower lip and I eagerly allow him entrance. Did I mention that he tastes as good as he smells?

"Okay! That's enough of that shit Whitlock!" Emmett booms form the bottom of the steps, making me jump and fall into Jasper, "Get your hands off of my baby sister and let her get something to eat, for fuck's sake!"

"So, you can handle watching Seth play tongue twister with Alice every chance they get, but you can't handle your little sister kissing someone?" I punch his arm as I walk by his hulking form, "That's a bit hypocritical, if you ask me."

"But Alice is Seth's _girlfriend_, and has been since last Sunday," Emmett argues, keeping himself between Jasper and I as we enter the kitchen, "I don't want him laying another finger on you until he makes his intentions known publicly."

I'm guessing that Jasper finally is tired of Emmett playing buffer, because he lithely dodges my brothers grip and takes my hand, "She is my girlfriend, you overgrown badger."

The look on everyone's faces is priceless. "When did this happen?" Rosalie chirps from Edward's lap, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Since yesterday, when I agreed to be his girl," I smirk, remembering Jasper's declaration just before he kissed me.

"Did this little event occur before or after your meltdown?" Seth prods, his tone neutral.

"Before," Jasper and I answer in one voice, then look at one another and let out a short laugh.

"That's awesome!" Jake laughs, then forces a yelp of surprise out of me when he pulls me down into his lap and hugs me something fierce, "I'm so happy for you Mama. You two deserve to have each other, knowing how much you can help the other."

"Thanks Jake," I kiss his cheek and resign myself to be held in his arms, accepting congratulatory high fives from the others, until Jasper walks back to the table with a plate for each of us.

After I slide into my own chair beside him, he gives me a wink and a smile, then digs into his mound of food with reckless abandon like the teenage boy he is. Well, physically is at least. Once we're done eating and have cleaned up the mess, Jake and Edward introduce me to Nessie, who turns out to be every inch as big as the ridiculous proportions Jasper gave me earlier. We'd never had animals growing up on account of having to move around so much, so it takes me a little while to warm up to the wolf-dog's feisty and affectionate personality. An hour or so goes by and Edward persuades me to play ball with her and I end up throwing the ball across the yard and laughing with the others at her antics as she retrieves it.

I just launch the ball over the grass when Seth lets out a loud whistle and jabs a finger towards the driveway, where Sue's Escalade is rolling up. No one mocks me as I forget about everything but seeing my little boy and start running across the yard.

"You didn't call!" I accuse my mother as she gets out and is swarmed with teenagers vying for a hug.

"I tried sweetie, but you didn't answer the phone," she answers so I reach back to check my phone only to find that my back pocket is empty.

"I think I left it inside," I grudgingly confess, but it's a moot point because now the door of the SUV is open and Rosalie is helping my son out. When I see his face, it suddenly feels like it's been years since I've seen him instead of a single day. A day too long, I might add.

"Mommy!" his exclamation echoes through the yard as his little feet swiftly brings him to me, "I missed yous!"

I crush him to my chest and bury my face in his pale golden locks, "I missed you too baby, so much. I love you, my sweet boy."

"Wuv you too Mommy, but can't bweafe!" he rasps and I immediately lessen the death grip I had on him, "Sorry honey, I just really missed having you with me. It's so hard keeping your uncles in line without you to help me, you know."

"Siwwy Mommy," his sighs in mock solemnity while patting me on the head, "Give dem food and a pwaystation and dey aren't any twouble. Thaf's what I do."

Emmett scrunches up his face at his nephew, "How does something so small manage to be so big of an annoyance?"

My son shrugs, not at all phased by his uncle's grumbling, "It's one of many tawents I haf."

"Okay, Mr. Ego, that's enough out of you," I set him back on terra firma and pat him on the bottom, "Go give Gamma a kiss so she can escape the madhouse while still relatively unscathed."

"Um, otay!" he giggles and bounds off in the direction of Sue, who is presently giving Rosalie a comforting hug.

She crouches down at his insistence and cover's Gavin's face in kisses before strolling over to me. "Stupid question time honey."

"I'm feeling much better mom," I tell her honestly, "I was just really stressed out, more so than I realized, and I didn't notice until it was too late. But Emmett, Seth, and everyone helped me get through it. Hell, Jasper ended up singing to me for hours because it was keeping me calm."

"You know, I've seen the look he gives you a time or two in my life," her onyx eyes flicker with adoration and something else, nostalgia maybe? "I think that boy is in love with you. And by the color of your cheeks, the feeling isn't unrequited. I'm not going to yell or warn you about being safe, you know all of that already, all I will say is be careful, but enjoy it while you have it because love is something that doesn't come along everyday and you never know how long you'll have it when it does."

"I give her a hug, reveling in the mixture of wonderful scents that have always screamed Mom to me, "Thanks mom. Love you."

She kisses the top of my head before letting me go, "I love you too baby. I think it's time for me to leave though, because I swear I just seen Emmett with a Nerf gun. What time are you coming home?"

"It really depends on how Gavin is feeling, but I was thinking about after dinner, if that's alright?"

She gives a nod as she gets into the vehicle, "That's fine, but we're going to have to sit down soon and discuss what you want to do for your birthday Bells, it's in two weeks and nothing has been planned yet."

Dammit. "Soon," I promise and wave as she pulls out onto the lane.

His arms are around me right as my mom fades out of sight. "You're birthday is in two weeks? I thought it had already passed! Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it isn't a big deal to me," I qualify as we shift around to watch the others shoot nerf guns with Gavin, "When you spend all of your time doing the best you can to raise your child right while also trying to finish school so that you're not another low life high school drop out on top of being a teenage mother, things like your birthday become trivial in comparison."

"I'm sorry if I upset you," he answers after a long minute, "I guess I never looked at it like that. Birthdays were big things in my house, even if I hated mine. I tried making Nettie's as happy as I could and just hoped I could do the same for you. I won't bug you about it again if it bothers you that much darlin'."

"I'm not upset Jasper," I shift and kiss the underside of his jaw, "Now come on, I want to play with my son."

He presses a kiss to my lips before laughing and holding his arm out, "After you milady."

I curtsey before linking my arm with his, "Why thank you Sir Cheeseball."

We're still snickering a bit when Jasper is hit between the eyes with a dart and my son's tinkling laughter rings out.

**I'm hoping this chapter is a little easier on the emotions, and the tissues ;-)**


	14. The Date

**No big announcement or anything this time around.**

**Still no ownage by me.**

"I want to take you out on a date tonight," Jasper declares as we exit the school building for the last time this week and head to my truck, as he had taken to coming over to do homework a few times a week with me, "A real, proper date, none of this hanging out with the gang stuff that we've been doing. Just me and you. We can bring Gavin with us on the next one, but I want the first one to ourselves."

I put the keys into the ignition, but don't turn them yet. Instead, I swivel in my seat to glare at my boyfriend. "First off, don't you ever tell me what I am or am not going to do with my child ever again. Second, I have no freaking clue what a proper date is so it doesn't matter what we would do, the exception obviously being somewhere gross and filthy, and third, if you want to spend time alone with me, all you have to do is ask. As long as I'm not busy with Gavin, my family, or school, I'm yours. Got it?"

His normally tanned face has paled to a chalky white by the time I've finished speaking. He's also holding onto the door handle so tightly that, if I didn't know better, I would swear that he was preparing to hurl himself from the vehicle to escape my wrath. "I'm s--"

I jab a finger at his nose, "I swear to the gods Jasper, if you say one more frikking I'm sorry this week, I'm going to have Emmett and Seth hold you down while I let Gavin color all over you with permanent markers."

He answers with a sheepish smile and a nod. "Okay, no excluding Gavin unless I ask for things to be just me and you ahead of time and you don't give a damn where we go on a date as long as it isn't someplace nasty, am I correct?"

"Yeppers," I grin and start the truck, "There are a few other things, but they aren't as important. Oh, and you might want to have answers prepared ahead of time because my dad and brothers are going to grill the hell out of you when you come to pick me up."

Jasper's eyes go from sapphire to aquamarine, "Does that mean you'll go out with me tonight?"

I shrug as I turn onto the main street, "As long as Charlie and my brothers don't kill you first."

Two hours and an overbearing mother later, my homework is still not finished, Jasper has been locked up in dad's study with the boys, and I have been poked and prodded more than a lab rat. But I have to admit, I look good. "How did you ever find this top in a size eighteen?" I ask Sue as I inspect the espresso brown kimono style blouse that flows smoothly to my thighs, which are clad in black denim capris. "And these sandals are awesome," the black strappy sandals only have a slight heel, so there is less of a chance of me killing myself in them.

Mom runs her fingers through my curls one last time then plants a kiss on the tip of my nose, "Bella, just because you're a curvy girl, doesn't mean that there aren't beautiful things to wear."

"Maybe, but there is no way that you would have found something like this if I'd still been a twenty two," I deadpan, fingering the silver and amber leaf pendant around my neck.

"Bullshit, I would have been able to find something nice for you no matter what size dress you wore," she chides as she hands me a small beaded purse, "You're going to need that to keep your ID and stuff in honey because your backpack would stick out a bit."

"Mommy, you wook very pwetty," my little one comments from my bed where he has been coloring while his grandmother tortured me. "Where are you going?"

I pad over to him and give him a quick hug, "Thank you baby. As for where I'm going, I have no idea exactly, but Jasper is taking me out for dinner."

"Why can't you eat here?" he doesn't even look up from his drawing.

"Because sometimes it's nice to eat somewhere besides home," I stroke his hair back after it falls in his eyes again, "You know, like when we take you to eat at McDonald's? Or when we go to the Coldstone Creamery and get ice cream?"

"Is Woseawie and Awice going too?" asks the little playboy with a twinkle in his eyes.

I shake my head no and kiss the top of his head, "Sorry bud, it's just me and Jasper going this time. Are you okay with that?"

He taps his chin thoughtfully for a minute, then nods, "I wike Jasper, he has yewwow hair just wike me. Mommy, is Jasper my daddy?"

Oh shit.

My stomach clenches and I have to swallow my panic, "No baby, he isn't your daddy, but he is um, mommy's special friend and I hope that he will be around for a long time."

This confuses him. "Whewe would he go?"

I sigh and pat his bottom before standing, "I hope that he doesn't go anywhere baby, but it's not always our choice. Be good for Gamma and Grandpa, I won't be home until you're in bed, but I'll come in and check on you when I get home, okay? Love you."

"Wuv you too Mommy," he smiles and offers Sue a crayon as she sits down beside him.

I remember to grab my long black cardigan and throw it over my arm before heading down to the living room, where Charlie, Seth, and Emmett are teasing Jasper, who is oh my freaking wow. He must have went home to change after my father and brothers had their little chat with him because he's changed out of his tee shirt and jeans and is now clad in a white dress shirt that is untucked with a green vest hanging open over it and a pair of charcoal trousers that fit very well in all the right places. But the icing on the cake is that he is not only wearing a black fedora, tilted rakishly on his head, but the well worn black cowboy boots on his feet. And then I notice the blue lily that he's twirling in his hands.

This man is going to be the death of me.

"I sure as hell hope not," he smirks as he takes my hand and presses a kiss to it before handing me the flower, "You are far too beautiful to be taken away from me like that. And, before you ask, yes you said that out loud. Dammit girl, don't go gettin' embarrassed on me now," he chuckles as I bury my head against his chest, "I love that you always say what you really mean, even if you do so by accident."

"Bells, you call home if you're going to be out later than midnight," Charlie interrupts, laying a hand on my shoulder and turning me to face him, "You have your pepper spray and cell phone?"

"Yes dad," I confess, opening the purse and holding up the little red can and little blue rectangle, "Satisfied?"

"Not until you get home safely," he mumbles and gives me a hug, "Have fun pumpkin. Remember not to tuck your thumb under your fingers if you need to punch him."

"I will daddy," I sigh and step back towards Jasper, "We can go now."

He smiles and holds the door open while I exit the house, then takes my hand as we walk to his truck. "I would have brought my bike, but a little bird told me that your father isn't too fond of them," he admits after we're in the vehicle and heading towards town.

"He's not," I agree, glancing at the scenery rushing by, "Charlie had an older half brother, Phil, that he idolized. When dad was thirteen, Phil had went to a party and got really drunk, but thought he could drive home on his motorcycle anyways. It was raining and Phil couldn't see worth a crap, so he didn't see the truck that was stopped in the road until it was too late. It would have been a mercy if he'd died instantly, his body was so broken, but machines ended up keeping his body alive for six weeks after the accident. He didn't regain consciousness once."

"I'm so sorry," he murmurs, squeezing my hand.

"I never knew him, so it doesn't hit home, but you should have been there for the argument Emmett got into with him when Emmett turned eighteen and bought one. It was awful. They didn't speak for a month afterwords because Emmett wouldn't get rid of it and now I think we're going to have the same problem with Seth. He loves those new three wheeled motorcycles that have been gaining popularity the past few years."

"They are pretty cool," he muses with a slightly guilty smirk and we fall into a comfortable silence, listening to the radio, until we pull up in front of what looks to be like a newly opened restaurant.

"What is this place?" I still don't know the area very well except that you have to drive for miles to get anywhere.

"It's a place Jake and Edward told me about," he states as he helps me down and grasps my hand again, "A few friends of Billy's opened it up a few months ago. They came here for their anniversary and said that the food was fantastic."

When we step inside, I'm taken aback by the hunting lodge style that has been used to decorate the place. The walls are covered in mismatched gear that hiker's, hunter's, and skier's would use on their outings and the tables are oddly shaped planks of varnished wood.

A tiny girl with caramel skin and a thick braid that reaches her knees steps up to the podium, "Hi, I'm Claire. How many are dining tonight?"

Jasper holds up two fingers, "And the reservation should be under Whitlock. Is it possible for us to get some place a little less crowded?" His eyes wander over to the large family of sixteen that seem to be celebrating a birthday with a bit of alcohol.

Her smile deepens, "Whitlock you say? Right this way, I have the perfect spot for you."

She picks up two menus and motions for us to follow her through the dining area, until a quiet cubbyhole nestling a table for two is revealed.

Jasper holds the chair out for me before seating himself, making the waitress look at him in awe. "Lucky girl," she murmurs as she hands my menu over.

"I know," I whisper back, unable to keep from smiling.

We order our drinks and Clair saunters off to give us time to peruse the selections. "Can I ask a question?" he inquires after she is out of hearing range, his tone uncertain. I nod an affirmative. "Who are Allen and Mischa? I remember Emmett asking if you needed him to call them and it's been bugging me for a while, because you haven't talked about them. You don't have to tell me, if you're not comfortable though. I simply enjoy hearing about your life and the amazing characters that have been lucky enough to cross paths with you."

"Actually, I have talked to you about them," I admit, earning a perplexed look, "Allen Danford was my therapist back in Virginia, along with his wife, Mischa, who did our family therapy."

"You're shrink was a guy?" Jasper's jaw nearly hits the table, "How could you stand to be around him after what happened? Is that why you aren't afraid of men?"

"Yes, he is a big reason as to why I trust men, aside from dad, Em, and Seth. I was scared witless the first time I met him, but I learned very quickly that he did understand my pain," I reach across the table and clasp his hand, "Put it this way, Allen probably knows exactly how you feel, except it was his uncle. Some things were kind of weird though, like it's because of this uncle that Allen met Mischa in the first place. She was his uncle's step daughter and had been molested by him as well. They actually met when they were waiting to testify at the guy's trial."

"That had to have been crazy," he surmises then pauses while Claire sets down our drinks and takes our dinner orders. Again, he patiently waits until there is no chance of her overhearing our conversation. "How old were they?"

I count the years off, "Allen was seventeen and Mischa was fifteen when they met. Between the two of them, they went through twenty seven therapists before deciding that no one would understand them because they hadn't lived it. So they went to school and became therapists themselves. Within five years, they were considered two of the best in the field."

"That's odd, I've never heard of them," he counters between bites of salad, "People like that would normally be given boatloads of awards and crap like that."

I quickly cover my mouth to keep my laughter quiet, "Allen and Mischa don't get invited to those ass kissing functions or awards ceremonies. Both of them think that those things are stupid and only glory hounds attend them."

"They sound pretty cool," he surmises then smiles, "So how did Gavin handle the news that you were coming out with me tonight?"

I shrug off the memory of my son asking if Jasper was his father, "He really didn't care once he found out that Rose and Alice weren't coming along as well. Truthfully, it could have been so much worse."

One of his pale eyebrows lift and the corner of his mouth lifts up into a lopsided grin, "Oh? Do tell."

"All you've seen of Gavin so far is his cute and cuddly side," I elaborate with a short chuckle, "What you haven't had the fun of experiencing, yet, is his temper. He turns into the Tasmanian Devil when he gets mad. He gave Emmett a black eye at the beginning of the summer because he didn't want to come in and take a bath."

"No shit? Wow, I have to admit that it's hard to envision that little boy throwing a tantrum like that," he spears a piece of his grilled chicken and points it at me, "But I should have known he could be fierce, you are his mother after all."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I smirk and wait for the next question.

Words flow easily as we dine, with subjects from football to theater being discussed, although his gaze grows distant now and then. He's no doubt thinking about what was said earlier, so I ignore it and give him time to process things. After we finish eating, Jasper gets tight-lipped about what we're doing next. "It's something every teenager should do at least once," he evasively replies when I try to pry it out of him.

I huff and stare out the window, slightly uncomfortable going into an unknown situation, but I remind myself that I trust Jasper not to do anything that would hurt me. Ten minutes later, we're pulling into a building that my brother's found the third day we were in the area. "We're going to the arcade?"

"Yes ma'am," he grins impishly and takes my hand, "Just because you're a mom doesn't mean that you've lost the right to have a little fun every now and then."

"This was Jake's idea, wasn't it?" I surmise as we enter the building and are hit with a cacophony of electronic sounds. "He'd told me that he was going to get me here one way or another."

"Aw, don't be too mad at him darlin'," he leans over and kisses my cheek, "He just wanted to see you smile and have a good time."

By the time we leave two hours later, I've learned that Jasper is unbeatable when it comes to shooting games, but had to concede defeat to me when it came to air hockey. It helps that I took my shoe off and threw it at him so I could get the winning point.

On our way home, Jasper stops to get us something warm to drink in an effort to counter the chilly evening, and comes back with a bouquet of mixed flowers. "It's my feeble way of thanking you for going out with me tonight," he confesses, his cheeks tinted scarlet.

Once again hand in hand, he walks me to the door of my house. "Tonight was wonderful Jazz, we'll have to do it again sometime very soon," I tell him after I unlock the door.

His smile and answering kiss shows me that he's had as much fun as I did. "I'm so glad that I didn't screw this up," he admits and gives me another kiss before opening the door for me, "I'll call when I get home."

"Okay," I agree and take a step inside, only to have my hand pulled.

"Bella, do you think that Allen and Mischa could help me?" Jasper's tone is uncertain and a little fearful.

"Absolutely Jasper. My parents already called them and they're coming up to visit in a week or so, so maybe you can talk to them when they arrive," I tell him truthfully and plant a kiss on his cheek, "Good night."

"Night angel," he waits until I close the door behind me before jogging to his truck and taking off.

"So?" Sue appears from the living room, her brown hands clenched against her violet nightgown.

"It was perfect," I sigh wistfully, laying my head back against the door, "He took me to a restaurant that a couple of Billy's friends opened, then we went to the arcade and just goofed off like normal teenagers. I don't think I've laughed so much in my life. On the way home, we stopped at that coffee shop at the end of town and he came out with more flowers. To thank me, he said. He's going to call when he gets home so I know he made it safely."

"Doesn't your old mom get any of the details?" she taunts and pulls me in for a hug, "I'm so proud of you honey. Charlie would have been telling you the same thing, if he and Gavin hadn't fallen asleep in our room watching Robots."

"Do you need me to get the boy and carry him up to his bed?" I offer, moving to peel off my shoes and hang my jacket up, "I'm heading that way as it is."

Mom shakes her head, "No baby. It's not the first time me and your dad have slept with Gavin in the bed. Go ahead and head upstairs, we'll talk more about your date in the morning when your dad demands a play by play."

I give her a hug good night and make my way to my room. Once there, I grab a tee shirt and a pair of flannel pants and get a quick shower to scrub off my make up and the can of hairspray holding my curls in check.

My minds drifts back to Jasper's question as I wind my hair up in a thick towel and curl up under my comforter. There is zero doubt that Allen and Mischa could help my boyfriend. If they can handle a year and a half worth of phone calls in the middle of the night, when I'd been waking up screaming and needing them, then I know they have what it takes to deal with Jasper's issues.

My phone rings and I happen to see the ID as I lift it. Rosalie. Hmm, maybe he's using her phone. "Hello."

"Bella, help me," Rosalie's frantic voice pleads, "Royce... came home to grab a change of clothes...he was waiting....tried to take me...oh god, there's so much blood!"

***evil laugh* I know, I'm evil. But you love me anyways.**


	15. To Save a Rose

**Thank you for not murdering me!**

**Still don't own.**

"Rosalie, I'm on my way," I tell her as calmly as I can while stuffing my feet into my shoes and digging out my keys, "Where are the boys? Jasper? Alice?"

"The boys are at E-Edward's. Alice came with me and—and I don't know where Jasper is, he didn't answer his phone, "she concludes with a sorrowful whisper.

I run down the stairs and almost run into Sue, who grabs my arms to prevent me from falling down the stairwell. I must look like I've seen a ghost because she gasps. "Oh god Bella! What's wrong?!"

"Royce attacked Rosalie in her house and Jasper isn't answering his phone," I gush out, in a hurry to go, "Call the cops and my brothers, I'm going to get dad."

"Go, I'll stay here with the boy," she pushes me towards the master bedroom and I keep soothing Rosalie as I crash through the door. Luckily Gavin can sleep through a hurricane, so the sound doesn't bother him one bit. "Dad, I need you to wake up and get your gun. Rosalie's been attacked and she says there's a lot of blood. Alice came with her, but she doesn't know where the pixie is now."

"Oh shit Bells," he throws the blankets from his body and darts to his gun safe, "Stay here with your mom baby, I'll take care of this. Tell your mom to call the police and have them meet me there."

"She's already called them and my brothers. And Dad, I have to go," I point to the phone, "She's on the verge of losing it now. And I have to find out where Jasper is, he's not answering his phone," I say the last part after covering the mouthpiece."

"Bella! There are headlights coming this way!" Rosalie sobs as I follow my dad out to the Escalade.

"Get in your closet Rose," I instruct as dad directs me, "Get as far back as you can and hide under some clothes if you can. Stay with me honey, we're on our way."

Someone must have entered the house because she lets out a strangled squeak and I can hear clothes being pulled from their hangers. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," she mumbles repeatedly, "Bella, what if it's Royce's friends?"

"Dad said that we'll be there in three minutes Rose, and he has his gun," I explain as calmly as possible, "Just keep quiet and don't come out for anyone but me or my dad."

"But Bella, I think it's Jasper!" she whisper yells, "What if Royce isn't dead and hurts him?!"

"Fuck," I spit then wince as my dad gives me a look, "Sorry dad. Rosie, was Royce breathing when you last saw him?"

"Maybe," she answers before sniffling, "He th-threw me on the couch and was tearing at my-my clothes...he forced himself inside of me Bella. All I could do is cry and try to push him off when I accidentally hit my big candle on the end ta-table. I managed to pick it up and smash it against his head. The glass shattered and he fell o--on the floor, twitching and bleeding everywhere."

"Okay sweetie, we're pulling onto your road now, just another minute and you'll be safe," I cajole and she falls quiet aside from her ragged breathing. "Dad....." I whisper while fighting my memories and the urge to be sick, "He raped her..." The truck suddenly jumps forward, it's engine roaring like an angry lion, as Charlie presses the gas pedal to the floorboard.

Three vehicles are parked in front of the house. One is Rosalie's red Skyline, another is what has to be Royce's Chrysler, and the third is Jasper's truck. As dad grabs his shotgun and begins stalking towards the house, I run to Rosalie's car and peer inside. "Oh shit, Alice," I gasp, horrified by the blood running down the side of her unconscious face. "Dad, Alice is hurt and bleeding."

"Take your sweatshirt and apply pressure to the wound," he instructs just as another set of headlights materialize on the road. Right away I can tell that it's Edward's Audi, so I wave them down after taking my hoodie off and pressing it to Alice's head.

"Where's Rose?!" Emmett is the first out of the vehicle, looking every inch the angry bear as he bellows.

I point towards the house, "I think Jasper's in there somewhere too. Dad just went in, he's got his gun, so be careful not to startle him."

"Bella, what's g-going on?" Rosalie whimpers and I wave my older brother over, "Rosalie, the boys are here, I'm going to hand you to Emmett so I can take care of Alice, is that okay?"

"Please don't go Bella!" the poor girl wails until I assure her that I'm not going anywhere.

"Okay Rose, I'm here sweetie, take a deep breath," I hear dad calling for her as he sweeps the building, "That's my dad honey, answer him."

"Charlie!" she screams and the sound of the door opening echoes through the speaker, "Charlie, I'm up here! Oh no! Jasper! What happened to your face?!"

Her phone hits the carpet and I lose my shit, two people I care about are hurt. "Something is wrong with Jasper too! Help them! Go now!" Edward, Jake, Emmett, and Seth run into the house at my shrieked command.

In a weird karmic twist of fate, my frightened shouting rouses Alice, who hisses and tries to move away from the fabric pressed against her wound. "What the hell B?"

"Thank the gods Ali, I was beginning to worry about how hard Royce hit you," I admit in a quivering voice, "Everyone is inside looking for Rose and Jasper," the noise of sirens are beginning to float up the lane, "The cops are finally here. I think they're going to need a body bag."

Alice bolts upright and grabs my arm, "Not Rose!! Please tell me it's not Rosalie. I couldn't live without one of my sisters..."

"Not Rosalie honey. Royce," I pat her hand, "Rosalie got him good with that big candle that she keeps in the living room and, if he happened to live through that, Charlie brought his shotgun."

"I knew there was another reason I loved your dad, aside from the porn star mustache," she smiles, then clamps her hands over her ears, "Those sirens are really frikkin' loud!"

I can't disagree as four police cruisers, three fire trucks, and two ambulances come roaring into the yard with their lights and sirens blaring. "My family is inside with at least one of the victims!" I exclaim as a handful of people rush to where I'm standing, "And there is a woman in this car with a bleeding head wound!"

Everything becomes a blur as people run around, trying to make sense of what happened. Alice is taken in one of the ambulances after passing out, leaving me waiting for the others outside. One of the officers takes my statement as I grow increasingly impatient for my friends and family to come out of the house. I burst into tears when two stretchers are carried in. Could one of them be for Jasper?

When the first gurney is carried out, I dash over and find Rosalie strapped to it. "Rose!" I sob and anxiously grasp the hand she holds out to me.

"Don't leave me Bella," she mumbles through the oxygen mask affixed to her battered face.

"I won't honey," I vow and walk with her to the ambulance, fighting the ghosts of my own similar trip after the trash man found me. When I move to climb in with her, one of the paramedics tries to stop me until the young woman starts crying out for me. The guy doesn't buy it when I tell him that I am her cousin, but acquiesces when Rosalie once again begs for me to be allowed to come with her.

She continues to have a death grip on my hand as we ride to the hospital and I have to swallow back bile as we pass another ambulance heading in the direction we'd come from. "How are you feeling Rosie?" I ask when I notice that she's begun to withdraw into herself.

"My head is killing me and I need a shower," she replies, her voice raw, "I just want to scrub him off of my skin. Now I understand why you acted that night when you locked yourself in the bathroom...."

I peer into her soulful violet eyes and nod, unwilling to lie to her, "And I'm sorry that you do, more than you will ever know."

The medic gives me a look of outright disbelief, causing me to bristle in annoyance. "I was raped and left for dead three years ago. Have a problem with that?"

"N-no ma'am," he stammers, his eyes trying to pop of of their sockets, "Sorry."

"Please just do your job," I sigh and gently brush my friend's hair back from her face, "I can see the hospital now babe. Do you want someone to call the parentals?"

She shakes her head no, "No fucking way. Carlisle, Esme, and Billy are more my parents anyways," her gaze locks onto the medic again, "Is Carlisle Cullen working the ER tonight?"

He gives an affirming nod, "He came on at seven. Do you want him paged?"

"Yes," she breathes and her eyes fall closed, "Bella, I hurt so bad....."

"I know Rose," I kiss her forehead as we pull under the awning of the building and the paramedics prepare to move her, "Love you Rosie, remember that."

"Love you too Bells," her hand falls from mine as they pull the gurney out. As soon as I can, I clasp her outstretched limb again and we enter the building to meet a flurry of medical personnel.

"Rosalie, oh my goodness," an English accented man with bright honey colored haired and matching eyes quietly exclaims as he rushes to us, "What happened little one?"

"Royce," she spits hatefully, "H-he raped me dad. I think I might have killed him." Dad? Oh, this must be Carlisle. No wonder Alice and Edward look as good as they do, he could be a model!

"Rose, do you want me to wait outside while they check you over?" I inquire as she is wheeled into one of the rooms.

"No!" she yelps, clinging to me tighter than before, "I mean, unless it's bothering you too much."

"I'd never leave you Rose, you're one of my best friends," I admit truthfully and smile inwardly when she visibly relaxes at my words.

"Rose honey, I'm going to have to step out so the attending can check you and um, document your wounds," Carlisle explains apologetically, "I'm not this kind of doctor, remember?"

"Oh yeah, neurosurgeon," she mutters but waves her free hand, "Whatever you think I need to do, let's just get it over with before the medicine wears off and I start freaking out again."

For three hours, I sit by her side as her bruises are photographed, a rape kit is done, and her wounds are cleaned and dressed. I'm relieved when she is informed that there was no tearing in her nether regions and although she will be sore for about a week, no stitches are necessary, unlike me.

When they are finished, Rosalie is given a slight sedative to help her get some rest while waiting to be transferred to a regular room. It's only after the effects have taken hold that I am able to pry my hand loose and move it around to get the feeling back in it. I also get up and walk around the small space to work out the cramping in my legs.

On my third trip across the room, the door opens and a woman with caramel hair and green eyes pokes her head in, "Is this Rosalie Hale's room? I'm Esme Cullen."

I wave her in, "I'm Bella Swan," I introduce myself as she races to the bed.

"I'm so grateful that you've been here to help her," the woman replies earnestly, holding my friend's hand in both of her own delicate ones, "All of the kids talk about how wonderful you are, Jasper's voice usually being the loudest. He's so upset that he couldn't prevent this. Royce hit him in the head with a toaster and left him bleeding on the kitchen floor. He's not hurt too badly," she bursts out as I gasp and cover my mouth, "Thirteen stitches from his temple down to his cheek, a few bruises, and was threatening to throttle someone if he wasn't allowed in here to see his cousin, and you, very soon, the last time I saw him."

"Has anyone heard anything about Royce?" I try to keep my voice down in case Rosalie isn't as out of it as she seems.

"The police were using words like self defense and justifiable homicide, so I'm guessing the creep didn't make it after all," she responds, pride in her tone, "My little Rosalie got him good. Everyone is waiting outside, you should go see them, I'll stay in here with Rose the whole time."

"Thank you," I answer, already opening the door and stepping out.

After making a brief stop in the restroom, I enter the waiting area, which is filled with friends and family. The first arms around me though are Jasper's. "Thank you for saving her baby," he murmurs into my hair and I can tell that he is crying, "You did what I wasn't able to. You saved my cousin from a monster."

"But I didn't save her Jasper, she saved herself," I argue, my own tears now falling freely, "I didn't stop the rape, she did, and I just told her to hide until me and dad got there because my dad told me to. Mom's the one who called the cops and the others. I didn't do anything but talk to her while trying not to freak out myself. I don't deserve your gratitude, mom, dad, and the boys do."

"None of us would have known what had happened if you hadn't made sure that everyone knew Belly-bean," Jake counters as he, Edward, Alice, and my brothers form a circle around us, "Alice and Rose could have been dead by the time we realized that they were taking too long to get back, so you're still kind of the hero in this."

"But I didn't save anybody goddammit!" I exclaim and bury my hands in my hair, fisting them in my curls and clamping my eyes shut. Too much. Phantom screams mixed with cruel laughter start filling my ears and the rotten odors of the alley assaults my nostrils. My chest clenches and suddenly I'm fighting to get enough air into my lungs. My legs turn traitor and it feels like I'm going to collapse.

"Sweetheart, you're starting to shake---oh shit," Jasper declares, recognizing the signs of an impending panic attack, then begins pulling me away from the others, "Let's get you outside so you can get some fresh air and calm down."

I allow him to half carry, half pull me along until the chill night air rushes over me. Instantly, the ache in my chest begins to recede the tiniest bit and it becomes easier to breathe. He keeps one arm around my waist to make sure I don't fall, but keeps his grip light so that I can get away if I need to.

After a few minutes, I've calmed myself enough that I relax into his hold and he responds by wrapping his other arm around me and feathering kisses along my forehead. "Better?" he sounds tired and I know asking him about it would be an exercise in futility.

"Much," I confess and snuggle into his warmth, "What about you? Is your head bothering you?"

"Not too much at the moment, but I'm more worried about you and Rosalie to think about it," he kisses my temple then winces as I reach up and gingerly trace the fresh wound.

My warrior angel, an unwilling soldier drafted into a war that can never be won. If you only knew how much of my heart you've captured.

"Thank you," he whispers and presses his lips to mine reverently.

This time I don't even mind that I'd accidentally said it out loud.

"We should get back inside," I whisper against his mouth when the need to breathe separates us once again, "My parents and brothers are watching us through the window."

"You're dad looks pissed, doesn't he?" Jasper winces, relaxing his embrace and taking a small step back.

I peer over my boyfriend's shoulder to find Charlie, Emmett, and Seth, their arms crossed over their chests, watching us with indignant expressions. "Um, I'll get back to you on that."

"Will it be before or after I'm put in a bed beside my cousin?" he prods as we stroll back into the building.

"Hopefully before," I retort and squeeze his hand once before letting go, "You should go see Rosalie before they move her upstairs because they won't let anyone in until morning now that visiting hours are over."

He bobs his head once in acknowledgment and trots down the corridor. I take a deep breath to steady myself and make my way into the still full waiting room. "Any news?" I ask, hoping to divert everyone immediately.

"They are releasing Alice to go home," Seth announces, giving a loving glance to the girl in question as she now lies dozing on the loveseat under the window, "She had to get staples because the cut is in her hair, and has a throbbing head to match, but she's okay otherwise."

"What about Rose? Has she been moved yet?" I hope Jasper gets a chance to see her first.

"They said it was going to be about ten minutes before they took her up," Emmett pipes in, still looking distraught, "I hope Jazz gets a chance to see her beforehand."

"That's where he was heading when I came in here," I explain and sit down beside Jake, who drops his arm over my shoulder and pulls me close, "How are we all getting home?"

"Your dad has the Escalade, Emmett and Seth came in the jeep, and Edward brought his car," Jake points out, "So there are more than enough cars to ferry everyone back and forth."

"And mom said that she'd bring her car out if we needed it," Seth adds as he pulls Alice into his lap, forcing her out of her slumber, "Come on Ali, the doctor said no sleeping yet."

"But chickens can't tango dammit," she mumbles and buries her face in his neck.

I take that as my cue to hunt down some coffee and possibly my boyfriend.

**I had to stop there because I'm way too tired and didn't want to mess anything up. *dives for cover ***


	16. Return to Nightmare Alley

**Well, my darling readers, I must apologize for my absence. My husband, who has Degenerative Lumbar Disc Disease and a bulging disc on the verge of herniating, injured his back Monday evening and has been home recovering.**

**If there are any glaring mistakes, point them out for me so that I can fix them please.**

**WARNING: Graphic Description of rape, mutilation, and torture ahead. Ye have been warned.**

**Oh, and I still don't own anything copyrighted.**

On my way to Rosalie's room, I find Jasper leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and one boot tapping the concrete wall absently. He's so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't hear me drawing near. When I reach him, I lay a hand on his arm, making him jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Have they taken her up yet?"

He moves languidly, running his hands through his hair, "Yeah. I got there right before she was wheeled out. She was still sound asleep, but I have a feeling that it's going to be bad if she wakes up to a room of strangers."

"Well, Carlisle is going to check on her until his shift ends at seven, which is in two hours by the way, and Esme said that she's going to sit with her until Jake gets back with Billy, so at least there will be a few friendly faces waiting for her when she comes around." I give him a quick peck on the cheek, "I know that it's a small comfort right now, but speaking from my own experience, the more friendly faces she encounters now will help her in the long run Jazz. She may not be ready to face us yet, but our presence will help her."

"How did you handle it?" inward, my jaw drops at his question.

"I woke up strapped to a hospital bed and a news reporter taking pictures of my mutilated body, so I sort of freaked out," I confess, my voice almost a whisper, "But that's not going to be Rosalie, not if I can help it."

Jasper's jaw clenches a few times, then he nods, "These rich yahoo's can get their jollies off another way because not a single one is getting near my cousin."

I give his arm a feeble tug, "Come on, there isn't anything we can do right now. You haven't had any sleep and I know that you're head is hurting a lot worse than you've let on. Let one of the others sit with her upstairs for a little while, I'll take you home so you can clean up, maybe grab something to eat, and at least take something for your head if you're not willing to take a short nap."

"I don't want to leave her alone up there," he argues even as he allows me to guide him down the corridor.

"She won't be alone Jasper," I insist while we move into the waiting area, "I'm taking him to his house so he can shower, eat, and hopefully take a nap, who else is coming?"

Seth, holding a doll like sleeping Alice in his arms, gets to his feet, "Mind if we come? She can't be comfortable sleeping on me like this, but every time I try to put her down, she digs her nails into me."

Emmett hands me his keys, "I'm staying with Rosie, so take my Jeep, it's not like I'm going to be needing it for a few hours anyways. While you're there, trying getting some sleep yourself sis. Dad is down in the cafeteria with mom and Billy, talking to Carlisle at the moment, but I'll tell him that you guys took off for a bit."

"How did she look? Aside from the obvious, I mean," Seth inquires after we've loaded into the Rubicon and started our journey back to Jasper's place.

"Her face and arms were starting to bruise, but the doctor said that the only broken bone she had was her right middle finger," Jasper allows, his head falling against the seat, "They're waiting on a few labs to come back, but it might take a few more hours for that since the full crew doesn't come in until seven."

"Figures," my brother growls, "But I bet the billing department sends your bill out a warp speed. It's sad, but the people who run these hospitals really don't give a damn whether they've helped you or not, as long as they get their money."

"No shit," I agree, pulling into a drive-thru to order us some food.

A little while later, with Alice awakened and the chow distributed, we finally manage to reach the house. Seth and Alice say their good nights and divert towards the spare rooms while we continue up to the third level.

Jasper's feet are scuffing the ground as I help him to his room and drop him on the bed. "You're too good for me," he mumbles groggily as I pull his boots off and draw the covers up over him, "You staying with me right?"

I toe off my own shoes and climb up to lay behind him, "As long as you need me Jasper."

He reaches out and pulls one of my arms over his body, "I'll always....need you...Bella... I...lo...oo..." a low snore rumbles out of his chest as he relaxes into the mattress.

I wait until I'm sure that he is completely under before slipping out of bed and shuffling into the bathroom. After using the facilities and brushing my hair, I dig my meds out of my pocket and swallow them. I know I'm going to have nightmares after all that has transpired, but Jasper doesn't need the crap scared out of him because my brain decides to take a trip through Nightmare Alley.

(WARNING)

_The dark haired man cackles madly while I struggle to escape his piercing thrusts, each one creating a new explosion of agony in my pelvis. "Ooh, I like it when they fight me, makes for more interesting sport," he comments as he reaches up and squeezes my breast so hard the it feels like it's going to burst, "So tender, so young..."_

_ Nails scrape across my scalp and my head is yanked back and another man with dirty brown hair standing up in spikes is standing there, his prominent erection bobbing in my face. "If you bite me or fight in any way, you dirty whore, I'm slitting your throat," he warns before tapping my jaw with a rusty box cutter. I have no choice but to open my mouth and allow him to violate my mouth._

_ The man invading my lower half is suddenly pulled away. Internally I'm hoping that the torture is almost over in spite of knowing that it's never going to stop. "Aw, little Isabella, are those tears I see __falling down your face? Why are you crying now, when I'm giving you what you wanted?" James taunts and my anguish is only amplified as my legs are spread wide and my rear is invaded for the first __time. I scream around the phallus in my mouth, the sensation of my colon being torn is too much, and then instinctively bite down against the pain._

_ The man screams and I feel the cold steel of his knife laying open the flesh of my breast and stomach. "You fucking bit me!" he wails, cut after cut being inflicted on my body. My stomach convulses, choking out my horrified screams, but there is nothing left to bring up._

_ "Bella," Scott whimpers from nearby, but I'm so blinded by my tears that I cannot pinpoint him._

_ Just then, the blade stops. "Oh shit dude, look. I sliced and diced her little titties into kibble! That is fucking awesome!" He holds a strip of raw meat up for me to see and I cry out when I realize that he's holding a piece of my body._

_ "I warned you that you were mine Isabella," James growls, his thrusts becoming harder, "But you had to act like a whore and give yourself to that dog instead of waiting for what you really wanted. Don't worry, I let him know what it was like to get fucked before I took a hammer to him. He should have known better than to take what is mine. You'll always be mine Isabella."_

_ "Let me go, I won't te-tell anyone," I beg, but that only makes them laugh before continuing to break every part of me that they can. I try to fight, but it's no use, they just hit me until I stop moving._

_ The foul stench of stale beer makes my stomach churn as his breath washes over my face. "You are such a lying slut! You wanted me and I took pity on you, you fat bitch, so now it's time that I get what I want!"_

_ Somewhere, part of my brain realizes that it isn't Scott screaming now, it's Rosalie._

_ And her agonized screams are blaming me._

(END)

I bolt upright, clutching my aching chest and gasping for air. "Not again," I mutter, a little pissed off and a lot really fucking scared, "Too fucking real."

"Are yo---" Jasper startles me, causing a shriek of fear to rattle out of me as I fall from the bed. "Oh god Bella, are you okay?" he hastily darts to my side to help me stand, "You were screaming so loud that I heard you from the kitchen."

"Sorry about that. I-I had a bad dream," I answer, striving to push away the vivid nightmare.

"Oh Bella," he starts to wrap an arm around me until he notices my body begin to quiver at the contact. I don't think he can help the look of hurt that eclipses is features briefly when he retracts his limbs and lets them fall to his sides limply. "What can I do?"

I use the hem of my shirt to wipe the tears away from my eyes and shake my head, "There isn't much anyone can do, unless you can reach into my brain and scoop the memories out Jasper. A cup of coffee would be great though."

"Alright, one coffee coming up," he gives me a weak smile and chances a kiss on the cheek before heading to the stairs. Halfway down he pauses, "Regular or Irish?"

"Regular please, alcohol and me don't go well together," I confess, turning towards the bathroom.

By the time I make my way downstairs, three things are obvious. One is that I was the last one awake. The second is that I'm the one who interrupted everyone's rest. Number three fills me with shame and sadness. As I take a seat at the table and Jasper hands me a steaming mug, I glance up at Alice, who is looking at me like she doesn't know whether to scream and run or call an exorcist. I can't stand the expression on her face, quickly averting my gaze to the table as I force the hot liquid down my sore throat.

"Bella," she extends a dainty hand and I reflexively draw back out of her reach, but she isn't deterred until Seth grabs her hand, "Don't touch her right now Ali, she needs space."

Her face twists into an anguished mask, "Bella, I'm so sorry! I was just trying..." her eyes drop to her lap as she wrings her hands nervously, "I don't know how to help you or Rose and it's driving me crazy."

"You help by simply being around," I assure her in the calmest voice I can muster, "And don't worry about me, I'm used to this. Instead, focus on helping Rosalie because she's going to need all of us no matter how much she screams, cries, or tells us that she's fine and doesn't need us."

Suddenly the doorbell rings and I nearly jump out of my seat, causing the others to give me and apologetic look before Jasper trots off to answer the door. I strain to hear who he is talking to until he calls for me, so I slowly stand and trudge into the foyer. "What did you need Jazz?"

He swings the door open to reveal a tall, husky man with long dark hair and cat green eyes standing beside a shorter plump woman who is barefoot, with her red hair swaying at her waist and her bright jade eyes peering into my soul.

"Uncle Allen! Aunt Mischa!" the darkness clinging to me recedes by a mile as they step into the house.

"Allen and Mischa?" Seth inquires, the bolts through the house and hurls himself into their waiting arms. "I thought you weren't coming in until next week?"

"Your mom called us kiddo," Allen qualifies, taking time to shake hands with Jasper and Alice while Seth tries to hug Mischa to death, "She said that a very close friend of our family was attacked so we were on a plane two hours later."

"Wait," Alice squeaks in confusion," You called them your aunt and uncle? I thought they were your therapists?"

"They practically gave up their practice and lived with us while Bella was pregnant," Seth explains with a soft smile, "And while everyone was struggling to find the new normal, they became our family. Hell, they're the ones who suggested that moving to New Hampshire was going to give us a clean slate to start our lives over."

Mischa's long gypsy skirt flairs out as she spins around to hug the perplexed girl, "Don't you worry, little Alice, we're not here to hurt anyone."

"Only because Rosalie took care of that piece of shit herself," Allen adds, the green of his eyes fading to black, "I would have loved to have gotten my hands on that sick little fucker."

"I see that your profanity filter has once more become obsolete when kids aren't around," I surmise, trying to punch through the rest of the black cloud hanging over me.

"Like you have room to talk," Mischa teases after hugging Jasper then winding her way back to her husband's side, "You used to cuss like a trucker, until the first time Gavin said shit in the doctor's office."

"That was Emmett's fault, he's the one who always said shit when he dropped something," I protest, inciting laughter out of the two supposed adults.

"Hey Bella?" the redhead inquires between chuckles, "While you're out in dream land, could you stop and pick up Johnny Depp for me since your dad still won't leave your mom and run away to Cancun with me? Ouch!" She turns around and glares at her husband, who just gave her a swat on her rear, "What? Charlie's hot!"

"Enough, you demon woman," Allen makes a face at her, then shields himself with her bottle of Mountain Dew when she makes to chase him, "Behave or the Dew gets it."

Jasper pads his way over, stopping a comfortable distance away despite wanting to hold me, "Are you sure that they are therapists? I think Gavin acts more mature than they do."

"They're the best," I proclaim as we watch the couple fight over Mischa's bottle of soda, "I promise that they will be able to help you and Rose with any problem you throw at them. They only think they're five when they are off the clock."

"I trust you," he smiles and shifts a bit closer, gauging my reaction as he moves, "Is this okay?"

I answer by reaching out and grasping his hand.

An hour later, the mood grows somber once again as we pile into our vehicles and return to the hospital after eating and changing clothes. We have to wrangle an elevator from a pissed off woman in a suit who believes that she's entitled to be the only one allowed in the thing. Once loaded, she begins muttering under her breath and I have to grab Mischa to keep her from diving on the bitch.

"Calm down Misch, or you're going to get us thrown out of the building before we get a chance to see Rose," I growl then sigh as I notice that all she has covering her feet are a pair of flip flops and the bright purple polish on her toenails, "You know, shoes aren't always the enemy."

Mischa glances down at her feet then shrugs, "Shoes hurt my feet."

The elevator dings and we file out, much to the pissy woman's delight. Mischa gives her the middle finger and an air kiss as the door closes. I seriously think that this woman has never developed any social skills whatsoever.

Our first stop is the waiting room, where Emmett and Billy are talking, their heads close together, which snap up as we walk in. "Hey guys," my older brother greets, his tone solemn.

"Why aren't one of you in there with Rosalie?" Alice asks after giving Billy a hug.

Emmett rubs the back of his neck guiltily and shrugs, "We can't. We got pitched out and told that if we tried to see Rosie again that we would be arrested."

"What?" Jasper snarls, his body tensing to spring, "By who?"

"By Rosalie's mother and father, I'm afraid to say," Billy elaborates in a defeated voice, "Until she wakes up and tells the staff that we are allowed to visit, there is nothing we can say or do to challenge that order."

"You mean, the same fucking people that pretty much left her to raise herself once she was legally old enough to be home alone?" I spit furiously, resisting the need to go down to Rose's room and throttle her parents.

"Who the hell do you think you are, talking about us in that fashion?" an arrogant feminine voice asks and I whip around to see what Rosalie will look like in thirty years if she becomes addicted to plastic surgery and botox.

"I'm Bella Swan, and you must be the bitch who donated the egg that made my friend and then decided to grace herself with the title of mother for the effort," I fire back, unwilling to back down to this troll.

Her violet eyes flicker downward to Jasper and my joined hands and her sneer deepens, "You have no idea of what you speak of, so I suggest you cease this nonsense now and go home, or to whatever hovel you came from.

Oh hell no.

**Yes, I know, I cut it off again, but this is all I really had time to do while the hubby was sleeping. Hopefully I can get more done soon.**


	17. Full House

**Hmm, I wonder how the gang is going to react to Rosalie's parents?**

**BTW, ever have a time in your life when everything seems to go wrong all at once? Yeah, well instead of just having a hurt hubby now, as of Friday, I became the proud momma to a ten year old son with a broken arm. Oh joy.**

**I own nothing copyrighted.**

"Hovel?" I can't help but laugh, "Please, if that's the best you can do, I think it's time to step away from the scalpel and pick up a few books to increase your vocabulary. Oh, and something else you might want to know, you can't bar us from seeing Rosalie, she's eighteen."

"And I have medical power of attorney," Jasper adds, aiming a smug grin at her, "I'm sure security will be happy to escort you out of the building if you can't remember the way."

The woman takes a step towards my boyfriend, "You can't do this, I'm her mother! I will have you degenerate bottom feeders thrown in jail for this!"

"I guess that means you didn't read the papers your lawyers sent you a year or so ago when Rose emancipated herself?" he retaliates, not fearing her threats, "Even the courts realized that you were unfit parents and put warrants out for you and your husband's arrest. I suspect that they will be here anytime to haul you off."

"I knew it was a mistake to take a freak like you in," she snarls at Jasper, her expression wrathful and disgusted while raising her hand as if to strike, "Look at how you repay us! By wallowing with a pig!"

Her hand waves out in my direction and three things happens at once. First, Jasper pushes me out of her reach, sending me careening to the floor, then he tackles his aunt. Second, Emmett helps him bring her down, then grabs her wrists and pulls them over her head. Third, and lastly, the police officer that had been standing guard at Rosalie's room walks out just in time to see the boys take Mrs. Hale down. Fuck. Someone is definitely going to jail now.

I grab one of Emmett's hugs arms and start to pull, "The cops are here Em, you can let her go now," I give him a 'don't screw with me' look when he peers up at me and he instantly releases her.

"I'm sorry Bells, but I couldn't let her hit you," he replies, stepping to me while Allen drags Jasper away from the wretched woman who is presently being read her Miranda rights, "Mom and Dad would have kicked my ass."

"Bella Swan?" the officer interrupts, holding a handcuffed Mrs. Hale with one hand, "I came out to tell you that Miss Hale is awake and would like to see you as soon as you're available. Another officer is en route to stand guard while I take Mrs. Hale down to the station, is that okay?"

I bob my head once, "Thank you Officer Michaels, for everything," I turn and smile up at my boyfriend, "Ready to go see Rose?"

He carefully snakes an arm around my waist and presses a kiss into my hair, "Whenever you are darlin', though you ought to head in first, since she asked for you specifically."

I feel like I've entered the Twilight Zone as we make our way down the hall. I mean, how cliché is it that Rosalie's mother is a stuck up evil bitch who lives to serve herself while her father, a wealthy business man, cowers and allows her to do whatever she wants, no matter who it hurts? Yeesh, I swear if I hear Oprah start narrating, I'm checking out of this reality.

Jasper opens the door for me and I inwardly steel myself for what my friend will no doubt look like. After taking a few deep breaths, I step through the doorway.

"If that's not you Bella, I'm kicking your ass!" Rosalie's voice, rough and an octave lower that usual, call out.

"It's me," I quickly reply, not willing to consider the damage she could do even with her wide range of injuries.

"Who ended up high fiving dear old mom's face?" she battered woman inquires with a shallow laugh, "I was putting my money on you."

I take in the green and purple blotches adorning her visage as I scoot a chair over and sit down beside her. "Sorry Rose, I didn't get a piece of her. Emmett and Jasper did though." I recount the event, inciting a genuine chuckle from her.

"So the all powerful Vivianne Hale got hauled off by the cops?" Rosalie asks her cousin, who had wandered in to offer his version of how events went down a few minutes before, "Damn, and I missed it. Too bad no one managed to sneak in a kidney punch or two, think they'll bring her back so I can get a shot in?"

"I doubt it hun," I tell her somewhat glumly. I would have loved to have knocked a couple of her teeth out for how she's treated everyone, "But you need to worry about getting well enough to come home."

A sad smile flickers over her face, which is still beautiful beneath the bruising, "I don't think I'm going to be welcome back at the estate Bells."

I pat her hand comfortingly, "I meant my home, you silly blonde. There was no way in hell that my parents were going to let you and Jasper stay there alone after everything that's happened. Besides, you forget that we've already lived through this once and have a bit of an idea of what you're going through now."

"How does Charlie and Sue plan on fitting everyone then?" I can hear the hope in her voice. She doesn't want to be alone either, but is so damn independent that she's going to fight until the very end.

"That's easy. My sister was going to move into the little three bedroom apartment over the garage, but because she's realized that she's not going to be able to come home nearly as much as she originally thought, Emmett and Seth are going to move into it, leaving their rooms open for you and Jasper," I explain, getting a surprised look from my boyfriend, "What? Did you really think that my parents were going to forget about you Jazz? In all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised if dad doesn't try to have you move into the garage with Emmett just to protect the illusion of my virtue."

"I think I might propose that myself, in the spirit of self preservation," he admits with a grimace, "I have no desire to be shot accidentally-on purpose because your father thinks I'm concocting a nefarious plan concerning you."

"I don't want to put anyone of out their own home," Rosalie argues as if she's going to be able to change our minds, "I'll move into the garage with Jasper, that way no one has to be transplanted."

"Bullshit," Jasper and I counter simultaneously, then I continue alone, "Rosalie, you need to be around people who you know won't hurt you. Yes, you and I know Jasper won't hurt you, but with me, mom, and sometimes Leah in the main house, you will always have a female's presence to run to when the guys get overwhelming. And don't you dare tell me that it's not going to happen, because I've lived this sweetie. When it happens, it's probably going to be big, because you're hiding so much of it away right now."

She makes a feeble attempt at shielding the guilt in her eyes, but fails miserably. "I'm not hiding anything," her bottom lip juts out petulantly and I almost want to laugh at her persistent stubbornness.

"And I'm the queen of England," I snicker, then grow sober once again, "There are two people I would like for you to consider talking to Rose. Allen and Mischa Danford. They are the amazing people who helped me and my whole family after I was raped and I know that they will help you, if you let them. My mom called them last night when she found out everything that happened and they flew up from Virginia to lend a hand to anyone who needs it."

"It's not like they're going to understand," she replies defensively, pulling the thin white blankets up around her shoulders, "So why bother?"

"Because they do understand," Jasper replies and I have to hide my shock, "They were both raped by the same man when they were around our age Rose. You should give them a chance. I am."

Rosalie's first reaction to his words is confusion, which melts into shock, then she collapses into tears, "Oh god Jasper, I didn't know."

He takes the safest route of connection by only patting her covered foot, "I know cuz. You couldn't have known something that I've never told another soul, aside from Bella. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm only telling you now because I don't want you to think that you can't talk to me. You saved my life when your parents were willing to let me rot away in that asylum. You gave me a home, a new life, and a friend I could trust. It's my turn to take care of you Rose, so I beg of you, please give them a chance to help you."

"I'd give you a hug if I wasn't tangled up in all these wires and shit," the blonde woman sniffle-laughs and I hand her a tissue to swab the dampness from her eyes. "Okay, I'll try."

"That's all I-we're asking," her cousin answers while taking my hand and squeezing it.

A short time later, a female nurse comes in with Rosalie's next dose of pain medication and I end up holding her uninjured hand while she drifts off into a, hopefully, dreamless slumber. When she is sound asleep, mom and Billy relieve us so that I can take my son home and finally spend some time with him.

"Mommy, what happened to Wosawie?" my baby asks after the hugs are out of the way and we're safely ensconced in my truck.

"She was in an accident sweetie," I artfully evade, sending a warning glance to Jasper, "But she will be okay soon and when she is, she is coming to stay with us at our house for a little while."

He claps his hands gleefully, then pauses, "What about her mommy and daddy? Won't dey miss her?"

"Her mommy and daddy work all over the world and can't be home all the time munchkin," I reply as politely as I can through clenched teeth, "That's why she's going to stay with us."

"Is Jasper and Alice and Jake and Edward coming to stay wif us too?" his big blue eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror.

"Jasper is," I chortle, not able to remain passive to his bubbling enthusiasm, "But I think he wants to move into the apartment over the garage with your uncle Emmett. Who knows, maybe Seth will still move out there with them."

"No!" he wails pitifully, "Dey can't weave me wif all da girls mommy! I go wif dem!"

"What about grandpa?" I tease, stifling another round of laughter as he huffs and crosses his arms. "Gwampa can come too, he's a boy. It will be our secwet man cave where no girls are awwowed. Den you cwazy girls can pway wif your barbies wifout any inter-inter---wifout dwagging us in too."

"You're uncle Emmett's been telling you stories again, hasn't he?" I already know the answer, having known since the moment my son said 'man cave'.

"Emmy is good, Emmy is wise. He told me he was," Gavin says with something akin to reverent awe. Wonderful, of all the people my son could idolize, it had to be the perverted brother.

I peer over at Jasper, whose shoulders are quaking with silent laughter. He grins at me apologetically and shrugs. "I'm sorry," he mumbles between his gasping chuckles.

"Emmett sure is something," I mutter while stopping the truck in front of the garage and killing the engine, "And that something might be hamburger by the end of the day."

I free my little guy from his booster seat while Jasper retrieves his duffel bag and guitar from the back. On our way home, we'd stopped at the other house long enough for him to pick up a few things for both him and Rose in case the Hales decided to have it all thrown out after the police left.

After attending to the alarm, I lead him upstairs to the attic. "You can stay in my room until we get things moved around," I explain when gives me a questioning glance, "I'm going to sleep in Gavin's room."

He leans over and looks into Gavin's room, then shakes his head, "You and him should sleep in your room, it has a bed big enough for you to share comfortably and I'll take his room. I don't mind sleeping on a twin size for a few days until my bed arrives."

I shake my head and start to argue, but he places two fingers against my lips until I quiet. "Bella, I insist darlin'. I ain't gonna let you and your boy suffer from sleep deprivation because your kindness stepped over your logic. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the gesture," he leans close so that Gavin cannot overhear, "And as much as I cherish the thought of spending a night sleeping in your bed, I'm going to be patient until you can sleep there alongside me."

My breath hitches involuntarily at his words and he gives me a devilish grin in response. "How do you do that?" I nearly whimper as fantastical images of our imaginary lovemaking flit through my befuddled brain.

He draws closer until our lips are quivering against each other, "It's a gift," he answers, then kisses me and is already turning to Gavin before I have time to react.

"You are evil," I accuse as he is pulled off by the boy.

The bastard winks at me before disappearing down the stairs. "I guess we're going down to see his train set!" he calls up, provoking me into motion.

"It's in the basement," I direct as I bound down the stairwell after them. As I catch up, I'm suddenly shocked into stillness by the sight in front of me. Jasper is holding Gavin and their nearly identical golden heads are touching as they are animatedly discussing the toddler's train set. Jasper must have heard me approaching, because he turns around, smiling brightly.

My hand raises to cover my mouth as two sets of blue eyes gaze at me. I can't stop the tears that form and blur my vision. "Why?" I mumble to myself, knowing that there is no real answer.

Jasper's smile fades, replaced by concern, "Why what angel?"

"Why couldn't he really be yours?" I warble, turning away in shame at my admission, "He could pass as your own blood...I wouldn't be so screwed up if you'd been his father instead of—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Too much too soon."

Instantly, I have two pairs of arms holding me, one large, one smaller but no less fierce. "Shh baby girl. Don't ever regret being open and honest with me, no matter what it is," my angel whispers in my ear, "Now, I know you enough to realize that this conversation is over for now, but don't even pretend to think that we won't get back to this later, when little ears aren't around."

"Okay," I mumble in resignation, laying my head on his free shoulder and gazing up at Gavin.

"Don't cwy mommy," my precious child commands while stroking my face lovingly with his little hand, "You're so much pwettier when you smile." Jasper sagely nods in agreement above me.

So that's what I do. I twist on my brightest smile and kiss both of my boys on the cheek, "Alright, you win. No more crying for mommy. You two go play with some trains and I'll fix us something to eat. Shoo!" I wave them towards the basement door before trekking to the kitchen.

Dad, Emmett, Seth, and Alice, plod in as I finish plating Jasper and Gavin's turkey sandwiches. While the guys assemble at the table and Alice starts preparing more food, I use the intercom to tell Jasper that lunch is ready. In seconds, Gavin zooms by and attacks Alice, leaving Jasper to pick up where she left off on the sandwiches for everyone when the boy refuses to left her put him down.

As we eat, they give us an abridged version of what happened after we left. Evidently Rosalie had, unknowingly, been almost eight weeks pregnant, but the stress of the assault had pushed her body too far and she began cramping right after we left the hospital. The doctor hadn't had a chance to tell her that she was with child yet when she began to miscarry.

"She's devastated, of course," Alice adds when Charlie falls silent, "But she's also relieved because she knew that if she'd had the baby and told people who the father was, Royce's parents would have fought her for custody. Mom, Sue, and Mischa are still with her, trying to alleviate the guilt about feeling that way, I think."

"Where's Allen?" Jasper inquires, now sitting with a squirming child in his lap.

"He's filling out paperwork to formally step in as Rosie's counselor," Seth replies, briefly pausing in the destruction of his third sandwich.

"Oh, before I forget," Dad turns to face Jasper, "Esme said that Carlisle already called a moving company to move you and Rosalie's things here as soon as the police give the okay. What can't fit in the house or whatever, is going to be put into one of those mobile storage units."

Jasper nods, "Thank you sir. I was talking to Bella about the proposed arrangement earlier and I wanted to ask you if it would be acceptable for me to stay in the apartment with Emmett instead of the house? I think it would make the situation less awkward if you knew that Bella and I were separated not only by a house, but by a security alarm while you sleep."

Charlie's eyes widen for a moment before he begins nodding happily, "That sounds perfect to me because I'd hate to accidentally shoot you for walking around my house at night."

"Dad!" I swat his arm, "Stop threatening Jasper for cripe's sake! He has been nothing short of a perfect gentleman this entire time!"

"I'll try pumpkin," he tries giving me his most convincing look, but we both know that I'm not buying it, so he sighs and lets his shoulders droop in defeat, "I promise."

"Good," I lean over and kiss his cheek, "Now we're going to have to get a start on getting stuff ready to move, because I don't think Rose is going to allow herself to be locked up in the hospital for more than a few days and we are eventually going to have to go back to school if we want to graduate this year."

The others agree and after rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, we get to work readying the house for two more inhabitants. I think we might need a bigger house.

**Hey look! No big cliffie this time! I know nothing big happened this chapter, but some important things did transpire though.**

**oh, and I have banners of some of the characters up on the chapters I have posted on the writer's coffee shop, if anyone is interested!**


	18. Declarations

**Some of you might have noticed that I posted a new story. If any of you are so inclined, I'd appreciate you giving it a look and maybe telling me your thoughts on it.**

**I don't own.**

The madness ensues until late into the next evening. Between shifting furniture around, gaining permission from the police department to have Jasper and Rosalie's possessions packed and brought over, visiting Rosalie again for a few hours at a time, and taking my son, boyfriend, little brother and his girlfriend grocery shopping, I'm ready to move into the actual car storing section of the garage just so I can hear myself think for a minute.

But fate eventually takes pity on me. By ten o'clock, Gavin is bathed and passed out in the middle of my bed, Seth and Emmett are acclimating themselves to their new abode, Jake, Edward, and Alice have all gone home, and my parents are locked up in dad's den with Mischa and Allen.

That just leaves Jasper and I, freshly showered and dressed similarly in sweats and hoodies, curled up on the loveseat that resides in the pseudo sitting room between my and my son's bedrooms. With his belongings not being delivered until sometime tomorrow morning, he's going to be sleeping in Gavin's room tonight, instead of the couch like last night, but we're not ready to be parted for the night yet.

Truthfully, I am beginning to think Jasper has fallen asleep until he startles me by speaking. "I think it's safe to continue our conversation from earlier now, if you're up for it."

No, not really. I'd rather just fall asleep laying here against your chest. "Okay..." Shit, this is the part where he growls out me for blabbering that I wished Gavin was his instead of some sadistic rapist's. "I'm sorry what I said earlier, about you and Gavin. It's just that my family would have been so much different, I would have been so much different, if I hadn't been -"

"And you would probably never have moved to New Hampshire to start over if things had not happened exactly as they did," he shifts so that we're looking in each others eyes, "And I would not have had the honor and privilege of meeting the most beautiful woman in the world who also happens to have the most amazing son and family to protect and care for her. Sweetheart, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that what you said didn't shock the hell out of me, because then I'd be lyin', but I do understand why you said it. No matter how much you love Gavin, you would rather have had your precious little boy born out of love than from an act of fear and pain-I get that-so stop worrying that I'm going to freak out because you've pushed me too far."

I press a piece of his bandage that has come loose back to his cheek, "I just worry because I promised you that I would not push you when it came to Gavin, but you are so good with him, even when I know that you are scared to death on the inside. It doesn't help that both of you have this," I run my fingers through his still damp waves, "out of control blonde hair and these-" I move my hand to ghost over his hypnotic azure pools, "these big blue eyes that pull you in. In some ways it's almost too easy for me to fantasize that he is yours because of the similarities. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but like you said, as much as I love my son, I do wish he could have come from an act of love rather than pain and fear."

He presses his lips to mine then leans back without relinquishing his hold on me and blows out a long sigh, "So much shit has happened already that it's hard to believe that we've only known each other a short time, a fact made irrelevant when it feels like I've known you my whole life. Rosalie tried for years to pry out of me what you learned in a few weeks and..." he trails off and takes my hand, "And you've done the same with my heart Bella. Yes, the thought of being close to both you and Gavin frightens the hell out of me but-well- you've captured my heart, my soul, my entire being, and made it yours just by being the wonderful person that you are..." he pauses again and it doesn't escape me how vulnerable he appears now that he is shedding the last vestiges of the protective shell he has worn so long.

"What are you saying Jasper?" I gently coax him, using my free hand to tuck a lock of hair that has fallen in his eyes back behind his ear.

His vibrant orbs are like twin stormy seas with rivulets of salty liquid gathering at their corners. "I think I'm falling in love with you Bella," he whispers in a quivering voice, "And it scares the shit out of me because that means you now have the power to hurt me. My little sister was the only other one would could do that."

It takes a moment for his candid revelation to sink through all of the many layers of self doubt and disbelief that have clung to me for so long, but when the words finally pierce my heart, my world is set aflame with a new fire. "You... love... me?" my mouth has trouble articulating properly, so I try again, "You love me."

"Yes," he replies in a tone an octave lower than just a few seconds before, "From the moment I first laid eyes on you Bella, you've owned every part of me, and with each day that passes, you make me feel more like the man I want to be instead of the monster I was forced to become."

"Jasper..." I reach up and press my hand to his tear streaked cheek, "You are not now, nor will you ever be, a monster in my eyes."

"How can you say that Bella, knowing the things I've done?" he rasps incredulously as he rests his hand over mine.

"Because I could never love a monster as much as I love you." There, the words that have been tormenting me for days are now free to wreak what havoc they may.

Instantly, his lips are on mine, murmuring "Thank you," and "I love you," in between careful but no less ardent kisses.

A loud cough brings an abrupt halt to our amorous declarations. I jump from Jasper's arms to look at my mother, who is smiling like a fiend. "I guess it's a good thing I told Charlie that I would come up, otherwise Rosalie might have been getting a roommate," she snickers, giving me a wink, "Charlie is getting ready to set the alarm, so you might want to hustle over to Gavin's room now Jasper."

"Yes ma'am," he replies, quickly getting to his feet before taking my hand and kissing it once more, "I will see you in the morning sugar, sweet sleep."

As he shuffle passed Sue, she gives him an affectionate pat on the shoulder, then turns to me, "Love is a powerful thing kiddo, so is loyalty, especially when life throws so many horrible things at you. Don't take advantage of either one and they will bloom for the rest of your life. Good night sweetheart, love you."

I stand and give her a hug, "I love you too mom. Night." I wind my back to my room, scooting my sleeping boy across the bed so that he's not sideways anymore, and crawl in beside him. Tomorrow is going to come way too soon.

**I know it's short, but it's all I had time for. I'm sorry!**


	19. Up in Smoke

**Sorry that my posting has slowed down, but I did warn you not to get too comfortable with the speed I was churning them out before.**

**I own nothing but zee plot.**

I wake up before my alarm, again, and carefully slide out from under Gavin before shutting it off. Still not really looking forward to the reactions of my classmates, I'm grumbling by the time I am dressed and sliding into my seat at the kitchen table. It's bad enough that not even my brothers normal goofball antics can bring a smile to my face because I'm so worried about the battlefield that school could be for us today.

An envelope being shoved in my face snaps me out of my runaway thoughts. "Jasper left this for you sweetie," mom declares as I take the letter, "He wanted to stop over at the hospital and see Rosalie before school, so he left a little earlier this morning."

Suddenly a little nervous, I open the letter with a trembling hand.

_My Beautiful Bella,_

_ I must apologize for not being there to greet you, kiss you, hold you this morning, but I needed to check on Rose and make sure that Jack and Vivianne have not attempted to see her or do anything else stupid that might hurt my cousin._

_ I promise that, if all is well, I will meet you in the parking lot at school. You might want to warn your brothers though, because I know that the muffin and coffee I will be bringing to you might be the signal for my untimely demise._

_ With All of My Love,_

_ Jasper_

"How does he do that?" Emmett snorts with what seems to be jealousy, "He has to be getting advice from Edward on what to do and not to do because there is no way in hell that a straight guy is that smooth."

"Not everyone is as crass as you are brother mine," I snicker with Seth and our parents laughing as well.

My older sibling glares daggers at me, "I will have you know that I have no problems at all when it comes to wooing the ladies."

"You mean besides getting up on a stage at the mall and trying to sing If U Seek Amy at your unfortunate target? Yeah, that one worked out real well Em-didn't she try to file a restraining order against you after that stunt?" I retaliate, doubling over with outright cackling as Seth falls out of his seat and begins rolling around on the floor while laughing like a hyena.

"Ooh burn!" Sue chortles, using her coffee mug to try and hide her smirk, "Bella definitely won that match baby bear."

With a huff, Emmett gets up from his seat and grabs his backpack, "This isn't over yet Bells, you just wait until Jasper has to say things in his own words instead of the ones Queen Coppertop feed to him."

His abrupt exit would have been very dramatic normally, but as he shares my blood, I think him walking right into the edge of the doorway was par for the course. "Seth, you're riding with our sister today," he growls, rubbing his forehead as he stomps away from another round of mirthful guffaws.

Twenty minutes later, I park the truck between Edward and Emmett's vehicles. Seth is out in a flash, barely taking the time to grab his bag in his rush to meet up with Alice. I don't bother swallowing back my chuckle at his enthusiasm because as my door is pulled open and a familiar hand takes my bag before the other appears to help me out of the cab, the same energy hits me as well.

His lips are the first things I greet, with the kiss I'd been dying to give him since waking up and reading his letter. The intermingled tastes of coffee, peppermint, and tobacco do nothing to dissuade me from all but mauling him until I feel a powerful need to breathe.

"Well, good morning to you too," he smirks, our foreheads touching, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you woke up, but Rose needed me."

"Don't you ever apologize for taking care of your family Jasper," I gently chide as I readjust the battered cowboy hat resting on his curls, "Besides, you are here with me now. That has to mean that all is well with our Rose, so I couldn't complain if I wanted to."

"I will always be here for you, my beautiful girl," he vows before releasing every part of me but my hand, "Come on, I've got your coffee and food. They were out of muffins, so what do you think the penalty for a danish will be?"

"Five lashings with a whip, at least," I snicker as he leads me over to a motorcycle that looks like it was built for racing. Oh, so this is the bike. Yeah, Charlie would have kittens if he saw this thing.

"Nice bike," I quip as he hands over the goods, "You do realize that you are going to have to hide this from my father, right?"

He gives a knowing nod, "I talked to Edward about that already and it's going to stay at his place when I'm not riding it. I don't want to ruin my chances with your parents so soon after garnering a hint of respect from them."

I'm prevented from answering when a bruised Lauren Mallory timidly shuffles over, her eyes downcast. "I um, wanted to say that I heard about what happened to Rosalie and I'm sorry, no one deserves something like that to happen to them. And I wanted to say I'm sorry to you as well Bella, I was really horrible to you because you had a baby and I had no right to do that. Erm, well, that's all, I guess."

She starts walking away and I squeeze Jasper's hand before reaching out and touching her shoulder. "Thank you Lauren," I tell her when she turns to look at me. She bobs her head in acknowledgment and continues on her way.

"What did Whoren want Mama? Am I going to have to sic Alice on her dumb ass now?" Jake asks as he and Edward walk up behind us.

"Not today, but thanks for the offer. She actually came over to say that she was sorry about what happened to Rose...and about the stuff she said about me," I whisper the last part to avoid the ears of the students around us.

"Holy shit, Lauren Mallory has a conscience after all," Edward muses, in awe of the other young woman, "Who would have guessed that one. What's next? Is Jessica Stanley suddenly going to decide to join a convent? Could we really be that fortunate?"

"If we were only that lucky," Alice chimes in from her perch on Seth's back, "But if she did, I'd take it as a sign of the apocalypse."

"As long as I don't get eaten by zombies, I'm good," he retorts, earning an elbow to the ribs courtesy of his boyfriend.

"Even if the world was taken over by zombies, I'd steal one of those big fucking sailboats and rename it the Revenge," Emmett adds with an impish grin, "And we could sail the oceans, plundering abandoned towns and shit and living like we want while the world burns."

"Em, I don't think anyone would believe that you were the dread pirate Roberts while you were busy yakking over the railing," Seth laughs, then shrugs off our brother's glare, "What? Pirates don't get sea sick and you hurl after riding the merry go round twice."

"Cockbite," my elder sibling snarls, then smacks the kid in the stomach before darting down the hall towards his class.

Jasper stops me before Edward and Alice can pull me away to our own class. His eyes are as clear as the sky as he gazes down at me. "I love you," he murmurs and gives me a chaste yet emotion filled kiss that fills me with a soothing warmth.

"I love you too," I whisper as the warning bell rings and he releases me into the custody of our friends.

As we hurry into class and take our seats, I can see Alice practically vibrating with her need to ask about the exchange of words that she had overheard but the teacher jumps right into the day's lesson. Every once in a while Edward utters a low chuckle and I know it's because Alice keeps trying to get my attention without being noticed by Mrs. White. My luck runs out when she tells us to get started on our homework and a note is thrust under my nose. I warily open it to be greeted with Alice's handwriting.

_OMFG B! He said he loved you! And you said it back! Was that the first time? You have to tell me or I'm going to have my brother and Jake hold you down while I forcibly give you a make over._

I glance up to spot her scowling at me. I roll my eyes in exasperation and jot down my reply.

_Yes, we said that we loved each other and no, it wasn't the first time. Has anyone ever told you that you are just a wee bit bossy?_

I toss it back to her and continue working until she slides the paper back at me.

_I'm not bossy, I'm passionate. Get your delusions in the right order. I can't believe J dove off the deep end and used the L word already. I think I've only heard him ever say it to Rosalie once, and it was on her birthday. Would you be mad if I begged you to not do anything to screw this up?_

I read her question twice before inwardly cringing. How can I promise her that when I can't back it up? I'll have to be honest.

_I can promise to try not to Alice. I'm surprised though, seeing that the All-Knowing Pixie herself didn't see this coming. You must be slipping in your old age._

I return it to her and abruptly receive a middle finger in answer to my little dig. That makes Edward, who had been reading our conversation over my shoulder, burst into quiet laughter as he pats me on the back in approval.

When class is over, Alice forgets everything and everyone else as she barrels out the door and into my younger brother's waiting arms. Edward and Jake quickly flank me and each one wraps an arm around my waist. I get a kiss on both cheeks before we begin our journey to me and Jake's next class. The boys seem to take great pleasure in some of the rumors floating about over me supposedly being their girlfriend as well as Jasper's, and they make me feel so safe that I don't mind the contact. I have to admit that some of the crazy things the rumor mill has come up with has been outright hilarious.

In second period we have a substitute, so we're watching a movie. Jake and I wait until the lights are out and spend the hour texting to the others, including Rosalie because she sent a mass text whining that she was bored and Billy was taking a nap.

None of this deters the whispered apologies directed towards us. It's messed up how the same people who were calling me a whore as recently as Friday are now daring to mutter how sorry they are that Rosalie was hurt.

By lunch, I've already popped a Xanax and nearly ripped my hair out in frustration, but my tumultuous morning melts away the moment my boyfriend's lanky frame comes into view. I rush into his embrace, burying my face into his chest and allowing his scent to soothe me. "I've missed you," I mumble into his tee shirt, not caring how pathetic I sound right now.

"I've missed you too sugar," I feel his lips press against my head, "But we're going to have to hurry if you plan on eating and calling your boy."

As we walk into the cafeteria, the air is different today. Of course we are still gawked at, but this time their gazes are not malignant. Some are sorrowful, others awed, but most are shocked into stillness. I had learned in third period that one of the paramedics on the scene had two younger siblings here at the school and they had been recounting the horrific scene as it had been described to them while a few junior firefighters who were there that night also helped fill in the blanks for the other students. Oh well, it's less that we have to try to explain or ignore.

"Nothing but a bunch of fucking hypocrites," Jasper grumbles under his breath as we take our trays and follow the others outside where they've claimed one of the metal picnic tables.

I notice that Alice is already on the phone, waving her free hand around as she babbles. "She's talking to Gavin," Seth explains with a shrug, "Mom took him to see her. I guess he threw a fit when he found out that his Rosalie was still in the hospital."

"Sounds like you have competition Em," Edward smirks as he scoots over to make room for me and Jasper, "So how's life treating you this morning love?"

I shrug a shoulder, "Just peachy now that I'm medicated, though I still might beat Eric Yorkie's head off of a desk if he offers me his shoulder to cry on one more time."

A low rumble coming from Jasper catches my attention and I slip my hand into his, "Hey now, no need to start acting all possessive and shit because some kid is as delusional as he is sweet. Eric is harmless Jazz, you know that." I lean closer so that only he can hear, "Besides, you are the one I love."

I breathe a sigh of relief as his lips curl up into a smile, "I love you too," he whispers and gives me a kiss before returning his focus to his food. I smugly make a mental note that his hand never leaves mine as he eats though.

Eventually, after everyone has had a turn speaking with Gavin, I finally get a chance to talk to my boy. He blathers on about how he and his grandma went to the Build-A-Bear workshop and made a monkey who was then dressed up like a doctor. I can't help but laugh when he exclaims, "And when I gaved it to Wosawie, she called me her wittle monkey man mommy!"

I don't get many more words in after that, because it's time to head back to class. The gang teases Emmett mercilessly though, since he's losing the race to win Rosalie's heart to a toddler. When Jake, Edward, Jasper and I split off from the others, our mirthful sounds are still echoing through the halls. Unfortunately my giddy mood abruptly crashes and burns when Tyler Crowley hobbles by, still looking like he picked a fight with Oscar Delahoya and lost.

The boys notice my shudder and scan the hall, their expressions turning wrathful when they find the source of my unease. "We've got you covered Mama," Jake reassures me while Edward grabs Jasper's arm and pulls him back to our little group, "That scumbag isn't going to come anywhere near you."

"I know, I'm sorry," I flush with embarrassment at my own weakness, "I just wish all of this crap would disappear and things could go back to normal already. Well, normal for us."

"It will baby, you have to give it some time though," he gives me a peck on the cheek and gently pushes me in Jasper's direction, "Edward will be waiting inside for you."

He ducks into the classroom to say bye to Edward as Jasper takes my hands and presses a kiss to each of them, "I won't ever let anyone hurt you Bella," he proclaims in a voice so rough that it's nearly a growl, "I love you too much to ever allow that."

"I know Jasper," I stretch up onto my toes and kiss him fervently before standing back, "I love you too. See you after class."

I make it to my seat just as the bell rings, inciting a dual chuckle from Edward and Jake, who is on his way out. "Oh stuff it you two," I mutter in mock annoyance as I pull my book out and get ready for the train wreck of today's curriculum.

In the middle of class, the fire alarm goes off, and by the thinly veiled panic on the teachers face, it is not one of the scheduled fire drills. The boys and I don't bother sticking with our class as we exit, instead choosing to hook up with Jasper as we leave the building. Once out on the quad, our group gathers closer to the treeline and away from the mass of wandering bodies out on the grass.

"Oh shit! Guys, look over there!" Seth points over to the main building while pulling Alice even closer to his body, "The school really is on fire!"

We all turn to where he is pointing and sure enough, the building is ablaze with thick black smoke billowing from a few of the windows facing us. Upon further inspection, we can see that the building adjacent to it has also caught and is beginning to contribute it's own oily plumes to the cloud floating skyward. One thing is immediately clear to me. The buildings are too old and are going up like matchsticks soaked in gasoline. The whole school is probably going to be ash at this rate.

As we watch the flames grow ever higher, the frightening situation takes a turn for the absurd when Emmett, who called mom to tell her that all of us made it out okay, suddenly shouts, "No mom, I did not set the school on fire this time, I swear!"


	20. Big Bang, Emmett Style

**Okay, I admit that I'm a little excited about this chapter. It's not because something extraordinary happens, but rather that today May 30th marks the one year anniversary of my very first posting. So, happy anniversary to me I guess lol.**

**I own nothing but the plot.**

"This time?" Alice keens, her eyes so big that she looks like an anime cartoon character, " What do you mean, this time? Are you telling us that you've burned down a school before Emmy?"

Erm, well, uh, shit," he stammers and rubs the back of his neck nervously, "Can I plead the fifth on this one?"

"Oh no buddy," Jake snickers while the others shake their heads no, "You're spilling this time."

My brother peers over at the now three burning buildings, then over the hill towards the fire trucks heading our way, "Um, can you at least wait until we're far away from anyone who might decide to pin this fire on me because of the story and my ass gets thrown in jail?"

"Fine, but once we're off school property, you'd better tell us," Edward warns before nodding his head to the rapidly emptying parking lot, "Most of the students are leaving in droves no matter what the teachers are saying, so I suggest we bolt while we have the chance."

"Good point," Em replies as we start hoofing it to our vehicles, "So where are we meeting up?"

"Well, we can't go to the hospital yet or we'll be busted by either Billy or my mom," Edward answers, running a hand through his vibrant copper locks, "Shit, I've got it!" he turns to his boyfriend, "Remember that hunting cabin your dad built when we were like nine and we had to spend a whole weekend out there with our fathers because they thought some male bonding time would be good for us?"

"The one that ended up being only like two hundred yards from the far end of the lake that we went skinny dipping in?" the tall Indian asks, earning a nod, "Yeah. It's still there, and luckily for us, it's easy to find. Follow me guys."

As stealthily as we can, we load up into our assorted vehicles and follow the larger than life Indian out of the parking lot, through town, and into the outskirts where mansions turn into more modest homes and those houses fall away to hunting cabins and RV lots.

When the paved road gives way to a gravel one, I bite back asking the empty cab if we're going to see the Wizard. I'm not the only one getting impatient, as the relative silence is shattered by my older brother, whose jeep is rumbling down the road right in front of me, lays on his horn. A quick glance in my rear view mirror shows me that Jasper is laughing maniacally in his truck behind me. My ears get a reprieve though, when the forest opens up to reveal a large meadow with a small cabin made of rough cut logs off to one side of it.

"About freakin' time," I mumble, pulling my truck alongside Emmett's Rubicon and throwing it in park before abandoning it for the cool day outside.

"Damn Jake, if we went out any farther, I'd start worrying about hearing banjos," Seth quips, making his tiny girlfriend giggle into his side.

"I feel like we've just entered some grindhouse slasher flick," Emmett observes, looking around the football field sized clearing, "Great, keep an eyes on the girls because they'll be the first ones to go. Jake, that means Edward too."

"Har-har Em," Edward glares at the larger man, "Luckily for me that I know I don't have to outrun any chainsaw wielding psychos...I just have to outrun you."

"We could always stuff Jake back into his showgirl costume and slip away while he's doing the can-can," Jasper smirks as he snakes a protective arm around me, "I know that seeing a six foot seven Native American dressed in pink feathers, sequins, and spandex and dancing like Cher would sure as hell distract me."

"Fuck you Whitlock," Jake flips my boyfriend the bird before pushing open the cabin's door, "I heard that Bella didn't mind it one bit when you borrowed that costume from me the other night."

"Hey!" I reach out and smack the big guy's arm, "Just because you're a fairy on steroids doesn't mean you get to pick on me buster."

He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead, "I'm sorry Mama, but your boy needed to be put back in his place. Next time I'll let you do it, okay?"

I pretend to think about it for a moment before nodding, "Okay Jake. Now, are you going to get out of the way so we can all go inside or are we going to stand here all day?"

With a chuckle, he enters first, with the rest of us trailing in behind him. I can't say that I've ever been in a hunting cabin, but for as rough as it looks on the outside, the interior is almost the polar opposite. Polished wood floors serve as the stage of beautifully stained wood paneling walls that hold various hunting trophies on them. Fur rugs are scattered across the space, along with stripped down but comfortable looking furniture. On one end of the space, a kitchenette stands under a loft that I can only assume is the designated sleeping area.

"Damn, no wonder you made this place look like crap from the outside," Emmett surmises while giving the bear rug tacked to the wall an appreciative look, "I bet other hunters that find it don't give the place a second glance."

"Carlisle helped my dad put it all together," Jake explains after dropping down into one of the chairs and propping his feet up on the coffee table, "But I think Esme might have actually picked the stuff out. It's way too coordinated for the dad's to do on their own. She must have wanted them to camp in style, because it's still the fanciest hunting cabin I've ever seen."

"How did they get electricity to it?" Seth inquires, his head halfway into the refrigerator, "I didn't see any power lines coming in."

"There is a wind turbine down by the lake and the lines are all buried so it doesn't disturb the scenery, I guess," our friend answers, then turns to Emmett, "But the bigger question right now, my dear Emmett, is how in the hell did you set a school on fire?"

I clamp my hand over my mouth to contain the fit of laughter that threatens to erupt, earning me a questioning look from Jasper. "You'll see," I squeak before burying my head in his shoulder.

"Is there any way that we could not elaborate on this?" my older brother practically begs, but is met with a wall of scowls, "Ugh. Fine," he stomps over and unceremoniously drops onto the couch.

"When me and Bells was in the eighth grade, I kind of got obsessed with that show Mythbusters and was always trying to find ways to recreate their experiments. I'd research the internet, libraries, anything I could think of to figure out all the stuff I'd need to do them. Anyways, when I saw the episode with the exploding trombone, I had a light bulb go off."

He smiles at the memory, "My friend Alec was in the school band, he played drums, but he had access to all of the instruments that were stored at the school. I know he could get me one or two of the older trombones that no one wanted to play, so that part was easy. The harder part was getting my hands on some fireworks, since I thought using firecrackers was too tame. Alec suggested talking to our friend about gathering any fireworks they had left over from the Fourth of July and I would pay them ten dollars a bag."

"In three days I had a grand total of seventeen bags of fireworks at my disposal, but there was a catch. Several of our friends had threatened to spill their guts to their parents and teachers unless they were allowed to watch me conduct the experiment. I figured why not because Alec was already going to be taping it, so it was only going to be a matter of time before everyone saw it anyways. I didn't realize that it was going to turn into a party."

"Almost a hundred kids showed up on the day that I had said the test was going to be. It was obviously too many people for the biology lab to hold, so me and a few of my buddies carried everything outside to the football field that was right behind the school. I'd picked that particular day because Alec's sister was friends with the Principal's daughter and that is how I found out that the school was going to be completely empty that day. I didn't want anyone getting hurt in case there was a catastrophic failure."

"We got everything set up in record time and soon I had the first trombone completely stuffed with explosives. Alec had even opened the mute and filled it with M-80's. I had printed out directions on how to make a remote trigger and thought I'd had it perfected after three weeks of working on the damn thing. In the end, I did have it perfect, but that ended up being some of the problem. Everything had been going too perfectly."

My brother rubs his face and peers at the faces all gazing at him intently, "Do you know how much pressure there is when you have a hundred people chanting your name and to hit the trigger? Let me tell you, I was sweating bullets. After checking things for the fifth time to make sure it wasn't just going to explode and kill me, I yelled at everyone and told them to get back as far as they could. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by everything going on around me that I hadn't noticed where things had been set up in correlation to the school or that the stand the trombone had been rigged to wasn't anchored to the ground correctly. When I hit that trigger, the instrument immediately shot backwards over the little half fence like a fucking rocket and crashed through the window that stored all of the cleaners, stains, and shit the wood shop class used. I was so deeply in shock that nothing registered around me until the back of the building literally exploded in a blast of flame."

"Why did the back of the school explode?" Edward chimes in, sitting forward on his seat, "There shouldn't have been enough force for that to happen."

Emmett shrugs one blocky shoulder, "There is if the gas lines for the kitchen, the furnace, and the labs ran across the ceiling of the room Eddie. Yeah, I know, big safety violation and all that, but it didn't stop it from being true."

"Did they ever find out that it was you?" Jasper asks, showing a sign of life for the first time since Emmett began talking.

My older sibling shakes his head no. "Nah. There wasn't a single person who was willing to admit that they were present during the destruction let alone point out who was responsible for it. Alec was the only person who had any concrete proof that I did it, but he and pretty much everyone else there had babbled into the camera at one time or another, so he wasn't going to cough the tape up either."

"How did your mom find out then?" Jake's expression is a mixture of awe, envy, and outright curiosity.

"I told her about it, but that wasn't until after we were all in therapy," he confesses, "I'd always felt guilty about it and since so much had happened I..." he runs his hands through his hair, "I was determined to help pull my parents focus off of all the bad shit that happened to my baby sister and give them something else to worry about for a little while. In hindsight, I probably should have told them about how the pool really got damaged instead of how I blew up part of the middle school, because if things hadn't been so tumultuous at the time, I think I would have spent the rest of my school years at a military academy in Alaska or something."

"Oh my god Emmett, I want to be you when I grow up!" Jake suddenly yelps, his guffaws filling the room.

At that statement, everyone erupts into laughter and begins quizzing Emmett on his various experiments and offering some of their own crazy schemes in return. I, having been temporarily abandoned by my boyfriend, grab a similarly solitary Alice, and together we slip outside to enjoy the comfortable silence of the forest.

We find a decent sized flat rock to sit on after wandering a short ways down the trail that leads to the lake and Alice rests her head against my shoulder as we watch the few victorious rays of sunlight bounce off of the water's surface.

"I know better than to ask if your crazy brother really did all of that," the girl finally mutters after about ten minutes, "It just seems so perfectly Emmett."

"Before James and his goons ruined our lives, Emmett used to drag me and Seth into all kinds of wacky stuff," I qualify with a sad smile, "Leah would go with us sometimes, but she usually had other stuff to do. I'm not saying that she didn't go on her fair share of adventures with us, but Leah has always been a very driven individual. She was always taking some new class. Taekwondo, Karate, gymnastics, you name it. She even modeled professionally for a while, until one guy told her that she had a fat ass and she broke his jaw in three places. She's never let anything or anyone hold her back."

"You look up to her," Alice declares, not an ounce of judgment in her tone.

"I miss her, so much," I admit with a heavy sigh, "When she was in school with us, none of this crap with Lauren and them would have happened because Leah would have whipped her ass the first time she heard Lauren say something snotty about any of us. It was her way of coping really. She didn't know how to talk to me anymore after I was..after I had Gavin. Until all of that happened, I could go to my big sister for advice about anything. But she didn't have any advice on how to deal with the nightmare I'd lived through or how to cope with the morning sickness that came at all hours. She did her best though. After what I thought was her hiding from me for several months, she came into my room one night while I was bawling my eyes out. My back was sore and I was having another freak out, something no one in their right mind wants to deal with all at once, but she did. She laid down on the bed beside me and rubbed my back until I fell asleep. She didn't say a word to me, didn't try to tell me that everything was going to be okay and things would be better tomorrow. She just let me get out everything I had been holding back and took every scream, wail, yell, and whimper in stride."

"She sounds pretty brave to go and do something like that," the tiny girl muses, shifting herself so that our arms are wound around each other, "It's a lot like Rosalie, and now you, have always been for me. When will we finally get to meet her?"

"This weekend," I lay my cheek against her raven hair, "She is supposed to be coming home for my birthday, but it's also the first chance she's had to get away since school started. From what I understand, she's carrying like max credit hours for a semester because she wants to get all of her core classes out of the way as soon as humanly possible. I have a feeling that she's going to love you guys, though she might try to stuff Jasper into a fifty gallon barrel and drop him into the lake simply because he and I are together."

Her head tilts up until her eyes connect with mine, "Why would she do that if you are so happy with him?"

I give a weak shrug, "Mainly because she'd be afraid that he was taking advantage of me. You're too small to be much a threat, so count yourself lucky on that one, but don't be surprised if she doesn't warm up to you very quickly. It's nothing personal, you just happen to be dating one of her little brothers."

"Ah, gotchya," she snickers and snuggles back into me, "It's so peaceful here. Maybe we should bring Rose out when she's feeling up to it, I think she'd enjoy it."

"Hey you two," a familiar velvet voice calls out. I swivel my head around to see Edward strolling our way. "We wondered where you'd gone off to. Move over so I can sit down with you."

We scoot apart so Edward can wedge himself between us, then he drops an arm on Alice and I and pulls us close. "It's so nice out here."

"Hmm," we mumble in unison and huddle closer together to watch the scenery.

**There you go, Emmett's big reveal. I hope you found it as hilarious as I did!**


	21. Creeps

**Blame my kids school year winding to a close, my son getting his cast off, my mother's insanity, people constantly calling me for medical advice that I am nowhere near qualified to give, or my new friend, dear old writer's block, for the delay.**

**If there are any big mistakes, be a darling and point it out to me please.**

**I still own nothing copyrighted, duh.**

By the time we load up and make it to the hospital to visit Rosalie, the police and fire department have issued a press release stating that the fire at the school was due purely to an exposed electrical line in a storage room filled with outdated textbooks and student files. The local news and radio stations in the area also keep replaying the school's superintendent's message that there will be a general assembly at the middle school's gym tomorrow night to discuss how classes are being shuffled around so that class can resume as soon as possible. Jasper, Emmett, and the other boys immediately placed bets on how long it's going to take for us to actually make it back to school because of all the weird shit happening lately.

"Never a dull moment since you Swans moved into town, that's for damn sure," Rosalie sighs after we do our best to recount the day's events.

Of course my big lug of a brother chooses that moment to stick his foot in his mouth. "What's life without a little excitement Rosie? Everyone needs some fun every once in a while."

Her vivid violet orbs lose their precarious luster and turn hard as agate. "Oh please forgive me for being such a spoilsport Emmett Swan, I didn't mean to ruin things for you. It's just that maybe the recent rape and attempted murder by my now deceased ex boyfriend has turned me off to all the shit you consider exciting."

You could hear a pin drop inside of the small room despite it being stuffed with eight crazy teenagers. I ignore the warning bells going off in my head and tear my gaze from Rosalie to peer at my brother. His hazel eyes are wide as saucers and his dimpled cheeks have lost all of their color. To be honest, it looks like someone has ripped his heart from his chest and just showed it to him.

I'm on my feet in an instant, extending a hand out towards my sibling, "Come with me brother bear."

Emmett's head swivels towards the object of his affection. "I'm sorry Rose, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to joke around, lighten the mood a bit. I w-won't bother you anymore."

Before she or anyone else can form an answer, he takes my hand and pulls me out the door after him. Jasper gives me a questioning look as I enter the hallway, to which I can only give an uncertain shrug to. I can hear the room explode into chatter as I close the door behind us.

My older sibling retreats into himself as we walk, not saying a word until we reach the parking garage. I nearly have a heart attack when an inhuman roar rips out of the young man and he shoves his hands into his short curls, the power with which he yanks on them making me cringe. "Why can't I do anything right? The harder I try to show her that I care, the more I fuck things up!"

He unceremoniously drops to the dirty concrete and the space echoes with his choking sobs as I kneel down to hug my distraught brother to me. I can't help the ripple of pain that courses through my body as his tree trunk sized arms clamp around my torso, but I force back the gasp that accompanies it. There is no way in hell that I'm going to let him see my discomfort when he needs me so much.

As he cries, I feel a familiar tingle begin to grow more pronounced, so I look up and scan the area for its source. I stop when I finally spot him inconspicuously leaning against his truck, his azure pools trained on us as he smokes a cigarette. A movement to his right distracts me and I have to strain in the dim light to make out Edward's lithe form as he whispers something in my boyfriend's ear.

Edward notices that I'm looking at them and offers a sympathetic smile before lifting an eyebrow in silent question. 'Are you alright?' I know he's wondering.

I answer with a sad smile and a subtle nod then give Emmett a tug, "Let's get you to my truck Emmy bear. I know Seth has an extra set of keys for it so one of the others can drive the jeep home."

"Okay Bells," he rasps, moving like an old man as I help him to his feet, "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

"That's what family is for, you big lug, no need to apologize," I tell him truthfully while guiding him to where the pick up is parked. He is so caught up in his sorrow that he doesn't even notice that Edward and Jasper are still observing our trek across the lot. I wait for him to get situated in the cab before walking around the front and getting into the driver's side. Sparing a sidelong glance over my shoulder as I back out, I see the two other boys getting into their vehicles.

They follow us as I navigate the beast into town, even pulling into the parking spot next to us as I make a pit stop at the grocery store. Emmett peers over at me, his expression quizzical. "I'm going to get back up which happens to be disguised as frozen, creamy sweetness. Aren't you coming with me?"

His lips curl upward into a tentative smile as he pushes his door open, "Sure sis, besides, you're going to need me to carry the back up and all the accessories that go with it."

Once in the store, we each grab a cart and head off in separate directions, our goals firmly firmly ensconced in our brains from years of making this kind of shopping run. Emmett will be gathering the sprinkles, bananas, syrups, and whatnot to top off our sundaes while I actually retrieve the aforementioned treat along with more frozen fruit, whipped topping, and an assortment of cones and edible bowls to shovel the ice cream into.

As I am used to making purchases for six people, the six half gallon boxes holding the same amount of different flavors doesn't even begin to register on my weird scale, but the one or two disgusted looks in my direction make me bristle simply because I can't seem to escape the herds of roving judgmental pricks no matter where I live.

I do my best to ignore the uneasy feeling that has lodged itself in my stomach as I continue on my quest, but stop dead when I catch a glimpse of an all too familiar face standing at the end of the aisle. Same flinty blue eyes, similar beat up leather biker jacket, but his ratty hair is now brown instead of a sweat darkened wheat.

"James," I hear myself whimper just before my world explodes into hues of scarlet and for the first time since that night, I'm not paralyzed with fear when I think of him and his friends. Yes, I'm scared, downright fucking terrified to be honest, but I'm also extremely pissed off. One of the only logical thoughts that come to me as my feet propel me after his lanky form is to dial Emmett's cell phone number.

"You ready Bells?" my brother's gentle tenor stops me in my tracks, the red in my vision shattering making me realize what stupid a thing I was in the process of doing.

"Em, I saw James, here, in the store, but he has brown hair now," I grind out, suddenly aware of my complete vulnerability at this moment.

"Where are you?" Emmett growls, all warmth erased from his tone, "I'm coming to get you right now baby girl, it's going to be fine, I won't let him lay a hand on you."

I look around until I find the aisle sign, "I'm standing by a bench beside the little girls clothing section, halfway between the grocery aisles and the electronics section. I left the cart back in the freezer aisle though."

"Don't fucking worry about the food Bella," he snorts and I can imagine him rolling his eyes incredulously, "I can see you now, I'll be coming up from your right...oh shit. Renee?"

I spin around wildly, searching for my older sibling's hulking frame. I find him just in time to see a woman with long red hair dart around him and disappear into the afternoon crowd. He watches her retreat for a few seconds before shaking his head and storming over to me. I can feeling the anger rolling off of him in waves as he grabs my arm and begins dragging me towards the nearest exit.

"Who was that woman Emmett?" I prod while he yanks my keys from my back pocket and directs me to the passenger seat. I wait until he's behind the wheel to push again. "Was that really Renee?"

He gives a curt nod, "The bitch said that her name was Victoria, but I could see it in her eyes Bella, she recognized me. It doesn't fucking matter though, we have to call mom and dad and tell them that you saw James. Be ready Bells, we might be moving again."

I can't even bring myself to answer him, instead letting my mind go blank. That might have worked any other day, but flashes of James, his friends, and my son's shining face force their way in, causing a few tears to fall.

I hardly register him hissing into his phone while weaving through traffic. I almost bring up the key point of Edward and Jasper fighting the other vehicles on the road to match our frantic pace, but let it pass when he growls Edward's name before commanding that everyone needs to meet at our house if they aren't still at the hospital with Rosalie.

After we hit the last stretch of the road leading home, my brother presses the gas pedal to the floor. I respond to his action by tightening my seat belt and squeezing my eyes closed so that the blurring scenery doesn't finally coax my stomach into violently rebelling. An involuntary squeal is ripped out of me when he hits our gravel drive doing some obscene speed and I feel the truck bed fish tail behind us. If my son becomes an orphan because he feels like driving like a maniac, I'm going to kill him.

Within a few seconds of our vehicle rolling to a stop, my door is thrown wide and my favorite scent in the world wafts through my senses just before Jasper's arms envelop me and gently pulls me from my seat. Without a moments hesitation, I thrown myself against his chest, my panic and fear finally causing me to burst into broken sobs.

"What's wrong with her?" Edward's tone is rife with concern as my boyfriend holds me close, "Is she hurt?"

"No princess, she isn't hurt," Jasper mutters over my head, "She's just scared shitless right now. Let's get her in the house, then we'll go from there." I feel his lips in my hair, "Come on sugar, we have to get you inside."

Another ripple of fear runs through me, washing away the last sliver of anger I had been using to keep the terror at bay, "Please don't leave me Jasper," I choke against the panic that threatens to swallow me whole.

"Never," he declares, not lessening his grip on me as we enter the house, which is buzzing with activity.

"I've called the Cullen's, you and Alice will be staying with us until one of your parents can come to escort you home," Sue informs Edward when she breezes into the living room, "Jake will be staying at your house too because Billy wants him to be somewhere that has a security system."

"I don't think James will be after any of them," I simper, internally cringed at the annoying whine my voice has taken on, "Where is Gavin?"

"I think it might have something to do with protecting little Alice as much as giving the boys something to do aside from starting up a mob to go tear that fucking creep limb from limb Bella," she retorts and leans over to kiss a part of my cheek that isn't buried in my boyfriend's shirt, "Gavin is napping in me and your dad's room, so you don't need to worry about him for the moment."

"Allen and Mischa are on their way back from the hotel," Emmett proclaims as he stomps back towards the door, "Jake, Alice, and Seth are also on their way with Rose, I guess the doctors came in and discharged her after we left."

"Come on Bella, why don't I take you up to lay down with Gavin for a little bit," Jasper murmurs and begins guiding me up the stairs after I nod in silent consent.

When my baby boy's angelic features come into view, it takes Jasper's arms around me to stop me from sprinting to him and scooping him up. My instinct to protect my son squelches my overwhelming fright when he sighs and rolls to face me, his eyes still closed to the world.

Jasper let's me go and my feet swiftly carry me to the edge of the bed, where I proceed to toe my shoes off and carefully lay down beside Gavin. As I drink in the pure, uplifting light that emanates from him, Jasper soundlessly moves around to the other side and slides in behind my son. I immediately reach out for his hand, which he offers freely, and together we form a protective barrier around the most precious thing in my life.

"I won't let anything happen to him, or you," the beautiful man across from me declares after a long moment of silence, "You and him have become the center of my universe and I won't let anyone or anything take you from me."

"Thank you," I press a kiss to his knuckles then sigh contentedly when he strokes my cheek, "I love you."

His smile makes my heart skip a beat, "I love you too."

We fall into a much more comfortable silence this time and I'm glad that no one comes up to bother us as they get home. We're quiet for so long that I actually begin drifting off when he speaks up once more. "If you are willing, I want to try Bella."

I open my eyes to see my son snuggled up to Jasper, his little head resting on my boyfriend's chest. "Try what Jazz?"

"I want to try and be the dad he deserves," he answers, never looking up from the child resting on him, "I can't promise that I won't screw up and make a ton of mistakes, but I love you and him too much not to at least try to be the person you both deserve. Even if something ever happens to me and you, I still want Gavin to have a real father, and not just in passing. I want the whole thing, legal papers to adopt him, his temper tantrums as he grows, teaching him how to ride a bike, all of it. I grew up without a dad, so I now how it feels and I never want him to have to go through that."

"Yes," I answer wholeheartedly and scoot closer so I can wrap my arms around both of them, "I want it too. All of it."

"Does that mean you'll marry me too?"

**Yeah, I stopped it there. I need something to bring you guys back lol**


	22. It's a WTF Kind of Day

**On account it took so long for me to get the last chapter out and I finally was able to put down more than a sentence or two today, here's another chapter.**

**As always, point out any horrible mistakes please. The price paid for taking responsibility for my screw ups I guess. I will still laugh at any flames thrown my way though :-)**

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own any copyrighted material.**

I can't believe what I've just heard. "Wh-what did you say?" I stammer, my brain unable to wrap itself around Jasper's question.

"I want us to get married," he qualifies, grasping my hand that is resting on my son's back, "If I-we are going to do this, we need to do it right, not to mention that it would be a hell of a lot easier for me to adopt Gavin if the courts know that we are at least engaged. It would be a breeze though, if we came before a judge as man and wife already."

As insane as the idea of getting married at eighteen is, I can't ignore the little sting in my heart that accompanies the knowledge that he only wants to get married so it will be easier to adopt my child. "How do you know this?" my mouth tastes like ash as the inquiry rolls off of my tongue.

He shrugs his free shoulder, "I googled it when I finally realized that even though the thought of having a wife and kid at nineteen is terrifying, the thought of losing you and Gavin is much scarier."

"But Jasper, we're nowhere near ready to get married," I protest, not willing to meet his gaze for fear of seeing his eyes filled with pain I know I put there, "I don't even know you're middle name or your birthday yet, for cripe's sake."

"Well, my full name is Jasper Dylan Whitlock and I'm actually named after my grandfathers," he answers in a voice that reminds me of someone being interviewed for a job position, "I was born at twelve twenty eight am on April twelfth, nineteen ninety at a Naval air station in Corpus Christi Texas. My zodiac is Aries, the raml if you didn't know, and a little known fact about me is that I was born on the same day that the Civil War started, which is why it''s always fascinated me. I enjoy playing the harmonica, guitar, and one of my best friends is teaching me how to play the piano because he thinks that this girl I am absolutely crazy about would find it romantic. What he doesn't remember is that I asked him to teach me before she came along, so the romantic thing is just a bonus. I abhor sushi or any food that someone says is good for me but will eagerly jump on any other food that is deep fried, comes in a pizza box, or otherwise can be smothered in cheese."

"Impressive Mr. Whitlock. First off, you need to know that you are in serious danger of being dubbed JD from here on out, because of Scrubs though, not the liquor," I answer, trying to stifle my laughter and sound professional, "My full name is Isabella Christine Swan and I was born in Seattle Washington at one thirty six pm on September thirteenth in the year nineteen and ninety one. My zodiac sign is Virgo, cue the redundant laughter, and I'm clumsy as all get out. I have two tattoos, one is a phoenix and the other is a tribal hawk because my son's name means 'white hawk of battle' in Welsh. I have seven earrings in my left ear, six in my right, my left nostril and lip are pierced as well. I am covered in scars and my body is hideously deformed, but I hide it as much as I can with clothes because I hate people looking at me, or worse, asking me how I managed to get so much damage and still be here walking and talking. I think pizza should be it's own food group, occasionally juice myself up with as many Redbulls as I can get my hands on, and also hate sushi."

"Aren't you going to tell me something about yourself that no one else knows?" he smirks, thinking his ploy to distract me is working. Oh, my poor, oblivious, beautiful boy.

"Alright. When I was thirteen, Leah and I had a big slumber party with like ten other girls," I let out a low chortle, "I felt so sorry for my parents, until I remembered that it was their way of worming out of taking us to Disneyland. Anyways, one of Leah's friends thought it would be funny to lock me and one of the other girls she didn't like in my closet under the pretense of playing hide-and-seek. We got stuck in there for two ours and did um, some stuff." I glance down at Gavin, my courage petering out.

"Holy hell Bella, are you telling me that you and some other chick got it on? That's so hot!" his eyes are as big as saucers and I can't help but laugh at his normal teenage boy reaction.

"And you are so gullible!" I cackle as his lustful expression melts into confusion, then despondency, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself Jasper, but you walked right into that one. Do you really want to know something that no one else does?"

Jasper gives me a nod, his eyes full of sincerity, "I want to know everything about you Bella, good, bad, or just something you've experienced."

I take a few moments to rifle around my brain before something that is sure to scare him away from this whole marriage thing jumps out at me. Maybe if he discovered just how mutilated my body is, he'll drop it and just be happy to be a father to Gavin. "There is something that only my parents, sister, and the doctors know about," I offer timidly, "Will that work?"

He nods once again and I sigh as he squeezes my hand. A handful of seconds tick by before I lay our intertwined hands over Gavin's ear to muffle my words. "I don't have any...breasts," the last word comes out a strangled whisper, "When I was attacked—that's what they cut-of-off of me. I don't have anything up there but a mass of scar tissue and some fat. Mom off and on asks me if I want to have some reconstructive surgery and maybe get implants, but I'm so tired of hospitals and surgeries that I do my best to avoid answering her."

"But I didn't see any scarring when you wore that tank top," Jasper responds, his gazed fixed on my chest now.

"That's mainly because I had these balloons implanted that stretched my skin out until there was enough to cut away the ravaged flesh and replace it with the new skin," I explain tonelessly, now regretting my decision to tell him about my deformity.

"You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever met," is his immediate reply and I have to admit, part of me believes him, "And you should know by now that none of your scars are going to make me not want you Bella. I actually love you more now that you've shared another piece of yourself with me, so I guess your little plan to get me to run away backfired. I'm going to say this one last time, I want to be with you and I want to be Gavin's dad, if you will let me."

I'm prevented from answering by Gavin's head popping up and turning towards Jasper. "You want to be my daddy?"

"Yes, I do," the older boy confesses, steely blue meeting and holding glittering sapphire, "If you and your mom don't mind that is."

When the two of them tilt their heads and peer at me from under would could be matching sets of thick eyelashes that seem to go on forever, I know I've lost the battle before the first shot had even been fired.

"Can Jasper be my daddy? I pwomise to take good care of him."

Just then, the door bursts open and a pile of arms, legs, and heads fall into the room. My jaw drops as every single face I can pinpoint turns a different shade of shameful red.

"Ouch! That freaking hurt!" what sounds like Seth cries out from under the mass of squirming bodies.

"What did she say? Did she say yes?" Jake demands from somewhere near the bottom of the mess.

"Aww, Gamma's gonna be mad at you," Gavin says in his ominous tone, "She says we're not awowwed wessling in da house because somefin always gets bwokeded."

"What the hell are you guys doing?" another voice, soft and disarmingly feminine asks from behind the group. "Don't they deserve at least the illusion of privacy?"

All eyes turn towards the newcomer and are shocked into complete stillness as they take in the form fitting black leather pants with matching stiletto boots that have six inch silver spikes for heels, an obscenely tight white tank top cut off just below her ample bosoms that is partially hidden under a black biker jacket, and a waist length mass of ink black hair topping off an altered six foot nine inch frame that has a pair of furious espresso colored eyes glaring at them.

"Aunt Weah! You're finawy home!" my son wails gleefully then launches himself from the bed and races over to the woman, who easily snags him up and sits him on her left hip.

"That's your sister?" Jasper warbles, his eyes still glued to the russet skinned amazon hugging Gavin as everyone else scrambles to their feet. I can't blame the poor guy for gawking, my sister is the only woman I know who could beat Rosalie in the looks department.

"Yep. Told you that she was a knock out," I kiss his cheek and follow my son's route to hug my big sister, "I missed you like mad Lee-Lee, but what are you doing home so soon? Weren't you supposed to come home this weekend?"

"Mom called me B," she qualifies, resting her head on mine, "I left as soon as I got off the phone. Dad might be pissed that I broke nearly every traffic law there is to get here, but there was no way I was staying away with James lurking around. Now, are you and our idiot brothers going to introduce your friends, or are you going to let them keep ogling me like I'm the shiny new toy?"

I grab Edward's hand since he's closest and pull him forward, "This is Edward Cullen, one of my best friends since moving here and the tiny demented pixie clinging to Seth is his sister Alice. She and Seth are a thing so me and Em have kind of adopted her as a little sister. The big Indian grinning from ear to ear is Jacob Black, my other best friend and he's Edward's boyfriend to boot. And this," I smile as Jasper takes Edward's place and threads his fingers through mine, "Is my boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock. Leah, he's important to me so don't turn him into a missing person. Jazz, this is my older sister Leah, and I'm only half joking about her making you nothing but a face on a milk carton."

"What about this blonde bombshell known as Rosalie that Emmett keeps blathering on about? Is she still in the hospital?" my sister scans the room, but fails to find the last member of our gaggle of misfits.

"She's asleep in my old room," Seth replies, trying to divert our sibling's attention away from Emmett's crestfallen visage, "She was discharged today but wasn't feeling too hot when we brought her in so mom made her take a nap."

"I'm right here," the woman in question declares in a timbre still rough with sleep, "Who could sleep through the herd of mental patients running around this place, or the sound of my favorite little guy's laughter?" she flashes a bright smile at Gavin, who leans out of my sister's arms until she relinquishes him to the other girl.

"You feewing better Woseawie?" the tot asks after hugging her, his nose nearly touching hers.

"Of course I am squirt," she grins and kisses his cheek, "I got hugged by the greatest kid in the world." She extends her free hand to Leah, "I'm Rosalie Hale and I didn't mean to steal your nephew, he's just so lovable that I couldn't help it."

Leah's soft laughter floats into the room, "I'm not mad by any means hun, that boy is the smallest player I've ever seen. I'm surprised that he hasn't turned you all into his devoted disciples yet."

"Don't let them fool you," I tell her as we file down the steps and into the basement rec room, feeling a bit more at ease now that it's glass windows are now shrouded in steel plates, "They all have him right where he wants them."

"Damn guys," Jake whistles while he inspects the reinforced barrier, "You sure as hell know how to turn a whole house into a panic room, don't you? I wonder how well it would do against a zombie invasion?"

"What is it with you and Edward?" Alice scowls from her perch on the back of Seth's seat, "Always going on about zombies and gross crap like that."

"One of our dad's gun safes are down here, so we don't have to worry if we end up living to see the zombie apocalypse," Leah retaliates with a chuckle after pulling her boots off then dragging me down onto the couch beside her and wrapping her arms around me.

Jasper sits himself on my other side, never letting go of my hand during the process, "As long as the generators don't fail and the well doesn't dry up, we'd be able to survive here for a good while if we had the right supplies."

Edward, who is holding Rosalie protectively in his lap while Gavin snuggles as close as he can to the woman, bobs his head in agreement, "And with the subterranean passage that connects the house to the garage, that would give us even more space to store things we'd need. We could end up being the last survivors in New England."

"Yeah, because we know that those poor bastards in Maine would be the first ones to go if Stephen King has anything to do with it," Emmett snickers and just manages to dodge Jake's playful smack.

"So why do you think he's here?" Rosalie shockingly brings forth the question we'd all been avoiding giving a voice to, "And is it me, or does it seem too eerie to be a coincidence that Emmett saw Renee in the same store, not five minutes later?"

"Do you think they could be working together?" Alice has lost all trace of amusement and quietly slips into her boyfriend's lap.

"I'll happily rip each of them limb from limb if that's the case," Leah snarls, her subdued tone making her threat all the more menacing.

"And you'd have help kiddo," Dad interjects as he descends the stairs with our mother, Carlisle, and Esme in tow, "I just spoke to one of my old friends still in the Bureau and he was gracious enough to inform me that the redhead and her male accomplice who were caught on the stores security cameras this afternoon are the same duo that have been implicated in over two dozen kidnappings and possible rape-murders all over the continental US in the passed three years."

"On the plus side, the police now have a face to go along with your case Bells," mom states as she situates herself next to Edward, Rose, and her grandson, "Mischa and Allen are calling in a few favors as we speak to get the APB's sent out within the next hour or so. Those fuckers won't get far this time."

"Gamma!" Gavin squeaks condescendingly, not understanding the situation that has unfolded around him, "You're not supposed to say bad words."

"It was called for this time baby," she assures him before pressing her lips to his forehead, "But I promise to be more careful next time."

The conversation turns to what all of us are going to be doing to protect ourselves and each other, only pausing when the pizzas are delivered. I try to keep up, but spend most of my time distracting my child from asking too many unanswerable questions about what is being discussed. Eventually I give up though and inform everyone that I'm taking my little one upstairs to give him a bath and put him down for the night.

True to his word, Jasper also excuses himself and follows us up to the topmost level. "I want to help," he explains when I raise an eyebrow to him after he begins sifting through Gavin's dresser, "I was going to get his pajamas ready while you washed him because I'm nowhere near brave enough to give him a bath yet."

Knowing that he's having another battle with his inner demons, I give him a kiss to show my understanding and acceptance, "Thank you for being so thoughtful. His pj's are in the bottom drawer of the blue dresser. Don't worry about getting underwear because he still sleeps with pull ups on in case he has an accident."

Forty five minutes later, Gavin is squeaky clean, dressed in his comfy jammies, and sleeping like the dead in the middle of my bed. Jasper, still reeling from the Herculean effort it takes to get the tyke dressed when he wants to go streaking through the house in his birthday suit, exiles himself to the lower levels so I can shower and change into my night clothes as well.

After I scrub off the days grit and grime and cover myself in a pair of black yoga pants and a purple tank, I shuffle over to my vanity to brush my hair. As I reach down to grab a scrunchie, I notice that my phone is blinking with a new voicemail. I open it and navigate my way to the message.

Every muscle in my body freezes when the voice that has spent so long in my nightmares hisses back to life. "Hello Isabella, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I've spent the passed few years trying to find the perfect girl to replace you after your untimely demise, but now I guess I don't have to. I'll be seeing you soon. Maybe we can bring that adorable little blonde boy I've seen you with along this time. I look forward to all of the wonderful things you will do to protect your little brother. Bye bye for now."

I'm brought out of my stupor by something that sounds like a wounded animal keening sorrowfully as it's life seeps away. I frantically look around until my eyes catch in the mirror and then I realize something else. The animal that is screaming...is me.


	23. Overload

**I have to thank everyone for the fuckload of reviews I've gotten over the last two chapters...I guess I'm not the only one who's skin crawled when James made his appearance.**

**Nope, still own nothing but the plot.**

_The animal that is screaming...is me._

"Bella?" my father bellows, bursting into my room with a pistol clutched tightly in his right hand. "Oh god Bella, what's wrong?"

After tucking the weapon into the back of his jeans, his arms wrap around me and I lose any illusion of composure. "Daddy, he found me, James really found me," I sob into his chest, "He wants to hurt my baby."

"I will not let that happen baby," he vows gruffly while simultaneously rubbing my back and guiding us over to my bed, "I will kill that monster before he ever gets near you or Gavin."

Someone takes the phone I'd been holding in a death grip and evidently replays the message because my room is suddenly filled with curses, declarations of vengeance, and snarls of unbridled fury.

"We have to inform the police of this latest development," Allen's voice rises above the others, "They need to be alerted and will want to listen to the message."

"Already working on it," my mother answers, her voice thickened by fear and anger, "They said that they will have an officer here within the next half hour. Someone would have been here sooner, but a tractor trailer jack-knifed in the highway an hour ago and they're trying to reign in the chaos."

"Dammit Leah, Emmett, you are not going and looking for him!" Rosalie shrieks, bringing all conversation to an abrupt halt, "You can't just go running off like that I...we need you here." Even without looking over at her, I know that last statement was directed at my elder brother.

"Mommy?"

My head snaps up to find my son standing in the doorway, one hand clutching his little baby quilt while the other groggily rubs at his eyes. I am out of my father's embrace in a flash and quickly sweep my son up into my arms. "I'm sorry baby, we didn't mean to wake you up. I'll come lay down with you for a little bit, how does that sound?"

He nods his head against the crook of my neck, "Want my new daddy to way down wif me too."

Jasper ignores the shocked gasps that erupt around him and makes his way over to where we are standing, "Want ever you want me to do buddy."

"Fank you for bein' my new daddy," my-our little boy mumbles after Jasper gives him a pat on the back and waves me towards Gavin's room.

"Thank you for letting me," the young man replies, his azure orbs glistening with unshed tears.

As I pass by him, I pause to give him a kiss on the cheek, silently trying to convey my gratitude and pride at the task he has ultimately chosen to bear with me despite his past and his fears.

It doesn't take long for our boy to fall back to asleep once he is wedged in between Jasper and I on the twin sized bed. Luckily my bedroom has emptied out as we laid with Gavin, so we retreat back to it when I'm sure the little monster won't awaken any time soon.

"I've been talking to Allen and Mischa a lot when I've had the time," is Jasper's immediate explanation as soon as I open my mouth to ask what made him change his mind about everything, "They are the ones who made me realize that leaving you and Gavin in limbo about what kind of future I wanted with you two wasn't fair to any of us, even if I am only nineteen years old. Allen warned me that this is going to be a very difficult path for all three of us-"

"You can say that again," I quip, following him out onto the balcony so that he can smoke a cigarette.

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that," he snickers and I can't help but marvel at his eyes when they flash a brilliant golden topaz as he brings the flame of his lighter to the tip of his Marlboro, "Mischa gave me a book to read about basically becoming a parent to a step child, I've been reading it whenever I have another minute or two to spare."

"Is it helping?" I inquire after curling up in my chair and covering my legs with my throw.

His blonde head bobs once, "Yeah it has, but obviously some things can't be learned from a book." His sigh is sad as he leans against the railing, "Though there isn't a section on how to deal with psychos who may or may not have your girlfriend's biological mother as a cohort. If you only knew the things that have ran through my head, things that I would have no problem doing if it meant you and Gavin were safe..."

"Well, you can't just go and start killing people left and right Jasper, no matter how good of a solution it seems," I retaliate, my chest tightening in fear as I remember his reaction to my story the day I told the group, "And neither is retreating into yourself. I couldn't stand it if you pulled away from me again."

"Bella," his tone is slightly reproachful, "I'm not going to leave you and Gavin, but I can't guarantee that I'm not going to need space to work things out in my head or that I won't go off on my own for a little while to do so, but know this," my gaze never breaks from his as he kneels down and takes my hand in his free one, "I will never go so far that I cannot hear your call and I will always come back to you and Gavin, even if I have to fight my way back."

"Bella," my mother's voice cuts in from the intercom, "The police are here and they would like to speak with you if Gavin's asleep."

I throw the blanket off and rush to the little box on the wall, nearly falling on my face when I trip on one of my shoes I'd forgotten to put away earlier, "Kidzilla is ko'd mom, I will be right down."

"Okay sweetie," she answers.

"I'll be right back," I tell Jasper and beginning heading towards the stairwell when he catches up and grabs my hand. "I'm going with you, there is no fucking chance that I'm letting you do this on your own."

I simply nod and allow him to guide me down to the living room, where two older officers in street clothes are standing near the archway, talking with the rest of my family who are inside the living room.

"These two gentlemen are Detectives Caius and Marcus Aro, they are taking over the investigation from the Virginia police," Charlie informs us as we move into the room, "They have some new information about James and this Victoria person that they would like to share with us."

Jasper and I shake their hands before taking a seat on the couch beside Edward and Jake, who takes my free hand in his after my boyfriend wraps his arm around me and pulls me into his side.

" First off, I want to apologize if this stirs up any bad memories for any you," Detective Marcus states before letting out a loud sigh, "When the forensic team was running the fingerprints we found at Miss Hale's residence, two matches were found almost immediately. One was for a woman named Victoria Dwyer, the other was for a man by the name of Phil Dwyer. Upon cross referencing their pictures, we can positively identify that they are the same people that we caught on Walmart's in store security cameras. There has been no evidence to show that anyone else was with them though, so we doubt that his original accomplices are still aiding him. They are presumed to be on the list of victims that have been credited to him and Victoria."

"Oh my god," Rosalie gasps from her place between Esme and Mischa, "The headlights I saw that that night-they weren't Jasper's, were they?"

Detective Caius shakes his head no, "I'm afraid not Miss Hale. Mr. Whitlock was already unconscious on the kitchen floor by that time, we derived that from his description of the night's events. Another thing that links the suspects to the scene is that we managed to trace the call to Miss Swan's cell phone to Miss Hale's cell phone. You did say in your statement that it could not be found that night and that is why you used the land line phone to contact Miss Swan the night you were attacked and also listed it as one of the belongings missing from your home after the incident, correct?"

"Yes sir," Rosalie agrees and I can see her shiver at the awful memories of what happened.

"We traced the call to a cell tower over in Twin Mountain, but that's as far as we got since we can only pinpoint the cell tower and not the exact location the call came from," Marcus explains, his frustration impossible to miss, "We have faxed pictures of the pair to every police station, campground office, hotel, and store we are able to in the entire state of New Hampshire. If they pass through any of them, we'll know."

"You should know that Phil and Victoria Dwyer have been linked to the disappearance of a young woman by the name of Bree Tanner," Caius interjects solemnly, "She was shopping at Walmart with her mother yesterday when she had to run out to her car to get her purse. She never returned. They have also been listed as armed and extremely dangerous..."

_Oh no, not another one_.

I clutch my chest against the pain that threatens to rip me apart. I can hear someone talking, but the blood pounding in my ears makes it impossible to hear anything clearly. From inside my head, James' cold, taunting voice echos, his message from earlier tonight mixing and melding with his words from years ago.

"No, no no, leave me alone!" I can't help but beg for everything to go away, but just like before, he is relentless.

_Never Isabella. You belong to me and soon the boy will too. We're going to have so much fun __together._

"No! Not my baby!" I wail, unable to block the images of James torturing my son while I'm helpless to stop it.

"Bella? Bella! Can you hear me honey?" Carlisle's voice breaks through the myriad of sights and sounds, "Bella, I'm going to give you something to calm you down, you're going to feel a little pinch."

"Help me," I plead in desperation. A sharp prick of the needle invading my arm causes me to whimper and try to curl myself into a tight ball, but it is then that I discover that I am already laying curled up on my side on the floor. I can feel someone lay down behind me, then familiar arms snake themselves around my girth to hold me gently.

"Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm, I know, it's been coming for some time," Jasper's soft tenor wafts out from behind me, "When it's over so they say, it'll rain on a sunny day, I know, shining down like water, I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day..."

"Keep singing to her Jasper, her heart rate is starting to come down," Carlisle urges, his finger still on my wrist.

"Yesterday and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard, I know, been that way for all my time," Jasper continues, drowning out everything and everyone but those closest to us, "'Til forever, on it goes, through the circle of fast and slow, I know it can't stop, I wonder, fighting the darkness inside." I try to lose myself in my beloveds dulcet tones, letting his presence fill me and push back the all consuming fear and pain.

"It's just like that night in the bathroom," I hear someone, probably Alice, comment from somewhere close by.

"I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, "his lips press to my neck, silently reassuring me that he isn't going anywhere, "Coming down on a sunny day..."

"Bathroom? Are you telling me this shit has happened again since I started school? What exactly happened to her in the bathroom? Why didn't someone tell me?" my sister questions, followed by the soft thumps of someone walking away.

"I want to know, have you ever seen the rain," the song overlaps the continuing conversation in the background and I feel myself relaxing further into my boyfriend's caring embrace as whatever Doctor Dad gave me begins to work its magic, "I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day..."

A flutter of fabric momentarily grasps my attention before a soft, cool blanket is draped over our bodies. I hum my gratitude and Jasper begins another song.

"Don't go changing, to try and please me, you never let me down before, don't imagine, you're too familiar, and I don't see you anymore. I would not leave you, in times of trouble, we never could have come this far, I took the good times, I'll take the bad times, I'll take you just the way you are..."

"Shouldn't we at least try to get her upstairs to her bed?" Esme's voice seems so far away, fighting through the lyrics being sung into my ear.

"No, it would be a bad idea to try and remove her from any place she feels safe right now, it could actually trigger a stronger reaction," Allen advises as I lose my grip on consciousness.

**That seemed like a natural place to end it, so I didn't argue.**

**The songs Jasper sang to Bella are 'Have you ever seen the rain?' by CCR and 'Just the Way you are' from Billy Joel. I don't own the rights to either of them.**


	24. Tis Better to Ask Forgiveness

**Okay let me clear something up before it gets out of hand. Renee is Victoria and James is Phil. He was never Bella and Emmett's step father. Like Renee taking the name Victoria, Phil is an alias James uses to elude the police.**

**Also, please read the author's note at the bottom.**

**And, as always, point out any big mistakes I made.**

**That concludes my rant. *steps down from soap box ***

**My ownership only extends as far as the plot.**

The world around me slowly shifts into focus and within seconds, I notice two distinctive sets of quiet snores coming from either side of me. I crack one eyelid and blink a few times before turning my head to see who else ended up on the floor with me and Jasper.

My first shock is when Edward's vibrant bronze hair is poking out from under a quilt in front of me, and the second is when I spy Jake's dark locks splayed over his boyfriend's outstretched arm. I squirm around a little to find Leah fast asleep on the couch and some unknown woman's arm around her. Part of my groggy brain wonders if that is the Sam she has been babbling about for weeks, nearly as long as I've gushed to her about Jasper.

I swivel my head back around, with clearer vision this time, and have to hold back tears as I see that nearly everyone ended up camping out in the living room last night, including Sue and Charlie, who are laying in their recliners and my son dozing away on his grandfather's chest. I can't help but smile when I see my older brother nearly wrapped around Rosalie's slumbering form. The only ones not present are Allen, Mischa, Esme and Carlisle, but by the murmuring filtering in from the foyer, I'm guessing that they're awake and have made their way to the kitchen and thus the magic coffee pot, savior of tired parents everywhere.

As quietly as I can muster, I wriggle out from under Jasper and Edward's protective arms and do the early morning zombie shuffle all the way to the aforementioned coffee pot. Upon entering the kitchen, I spot Allen and Mischa conversing with Esme, but Carlisle is nowhere in sight.

"Carlisle had to go in and do a consult," Esme explains, seeing my confusion. I give her a smile in understanding, then pour my coffee.

While slowly ingesting the piping hot brew and ignoring the heavy feeling in my stomach as my meds begin to dissolve, my mind wanders back to the new information that the detectives gave us last night. The innate fear that I've carried all this time begins to slip away and is replaced by black fury.

Growing up, I came to the realization that Renee was less than useless, but to discover that she's been helping James attack and possibly kill young girls, it makes me wonder if she handpicked me personally to be the object of his morbid hobby. With the things we learned from Cauis and Marcus, it's quite possible that is exactly what happened.

Hunched over the counter and my coffee, I fight the trembling that starts in my chest and works its way through my body. I'm not afraid anymore, not of James, not of Renee, no, now I'm just really pissed off.

"Bella, are you okay?" Mischa's husky tone penetrates my ever blackening thoughts.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," I spit through clenched teeth before pushing off the counter top and marching up to my room.

"So tired of this crap," I grumble while pulling clothes out of the closet and donning them.

Why can't things be simple in my life? First I have to deal with being raped and mutilated in front of my dying boyfriend, and now I have to face the reality that my biological mother probably knew and even helped with the deed? And to top it all off, both of them just happen to wander through the very town where my fucking family moved to start our lives over? Who the hell do they think they are? Do they expect me to just roll over and play dead while they destroy another innocent person's life? Fuck that.

A quiet rapping on my door jolts me out of my internal rant. "Darlin' it's me," Jasper's honeyed tone seeps through the wood and chases away the remainder of my anger, "If you're decent, may I come in?"

I trod across the space and fling the door open, sighing in relief as his arms find their way around me. We stand there, clinging to one another with all of our strength, until he cups my chin and urges me to look at him. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours sugar? Talk to me please. I'm tryin' so hard to be here for you, but I can't help if you don't open up."

"I can't stop thinking about that missing girl, Bree Tanner," I confess in a ragged voice, "And then remembering that Renee has played a part in it, I just get so freakin' mad. I want to help find that girl Jasper. I have to-I won't-can't let what happened to me happen to someone else if I can stop it."

His sapphire orbs bore into me for the span of a few heartbeats and I start getting the feeling that he's going to blow a gasket...until he kisses my forehead and smiles. "What do you need me to do angel?"

"James wants me, I'm guessing because I'm the one that lived or some other crap-makes me feel like Harry freaking Potter," I surmise, pushing off of his chest and moving to my closet, where I begin stuffing clothes into a duffel bag, "So I'm going to give him what he wants."

"So you're offering yourself up as bait? I can't say that I like the idea, though I see the logic in it," my boyfriend qualifies, his eyes following me as I flit about the room, "But this is really fucking dangerous Bella, I'm not sure I can go along with this unless you can prove to me that you'll be safe and in my arms when it's all said and done."

I turn to him, one hand on my hip, the other holding a desert eagle pistol in it's holster, "Charlie taught all of us kids how to handle guns after James and his buddies did what they did. Did you really think that I was going into this without some way to protect myself? I'm wounded."

His face falls and those longs legs of his carry him over to me once more, "Bad choice of words at the moment love," he lifts his right hand and brushes his knuckles across my cheek, "I'm going with you, you know."

"What? Why? No! You have to stay here, to take care of Gavin and the others," I protest, but Jasper silences me with a kiss. Dammit, he knows I can't resist him.

Just as I reach my arms up and link them behind his neck, he pulls back, "There is no way in hell I'm letting you go off after two serial killers by yourself. How am I ever going to live let alone convince you to marry me if you don't come home?"

"Don't say things like that Jasper, I'm not worth it," I huff, dropping my arms. "You did just fine before meeting me and I'm sure that you will do fine without me if this doesn't work." I try to step out of his embrace, but he refuses to budge.

"I don't want to ever hear you say anything like that ever again Bella Swan," he snarls with such fierceness, my body tenses automatically, "You are worth it...and so much more. I can't stand it when you put yourself down like that, sometimes I wish I could just shake some sense into that beautiful head of yours...Bella?"

By this time, I'm trembling so hard that my teeth are chattering in my head. I never dreamed that I would be scared of Jasper, but right now, seeing his eyes wild and feeling the now painful vice-like grip he has on my arms, everything in me is screaming to run far, run fast, and never look back.

"Bella?" he says again, his tone shifting from incensed to inquisitive.

"You're scaring me Jasper...my arms..." I whisper through clattering teeth while fighting my instincts and the nightmarish visions trying to wrestle free.

I can feel the air swirl against my skin, he moves away so quickly. "Bella, I didn't mean—oh god, I hurt you! I'm so sorry..." He rakes his hands through his hair before something between a wail and a roar explodes of of him.

"Jasper, I'm okay, don't-" the agonized sob that bursts from him is enough to make me freeze, still as a stone statue, until he turns from me and rushes out the door.

When his footsteps fade, I force the involuntary guilt away and coerce my body to spring into action again, jamming the pistol into the bag and forcing it closed before grabbing my purse and keys. I double check my purse for the pepper spray, taser gun, and yes, even the brass knuckles that Emmett procured for me, before closing my purse and shouldering it. With my phone having been confiscated by the police last night, I am either going to have to take one of the others' phones or buy a prepaid on my way if I can't filch anyone's. It's then I realize I have another problem. How am I going to get my bag downstairs without everyone seeing it? Then it hits me.

I make my way to the bathroom and drop the bag down the laundry chute, then toss some dirty clothes down after it to hide the thing until I am able to retrieve it and put it in my truck. Satisfied with my work, I take the back stairs down to the back entrance of the house, diverting onto the second floor long enough to pilfer my parents room to find my mother's cell phone and charger, then resume my trek down the steps, finally slipping into the laundry room unnoticed.

Once the door is shut tight, I uncover the blue bag and sling it up over my shoulder. I just put my hand on the door knob when I hear mom and Mischa pass by, chattering about the possibility of hiring private security until James is apprehended. Good luck with that.

When I don't hear anything more, I let out the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding before slowly opening the door and peering through the gap, looking to make sure the way is clear before stepping back into the hallway and racing to the back door. I double check to make sure the alarm is off, then race out the door.

There is a thunderstorm raging outside so I tug my hood up over my head to keep the worst of the torrential downpour from pelting me in the face as I trot towards my pick up. I glance back to the house, but can barely make it out through the rain. I guess they won't see or hear me leaving then.

"Take care of Jasper and m-my baby boy, they are my world...I love you all, please forgive me..." are the only words I can bring myself to say, and even they bring a few tears. The person who came up with the phrase 'Tis better to ask forgiveness than permission' must have left out the part about how much heeding those words hurts.

I move around to the passenger side door, since it is facing away from the house, unlocking it quickly before I climb up into the cab. After depositing my bag on the floor, I slide over to the driver's side, keeping my head as far down as possible. With slightly trembling hands, I shove the keys into the ignition and wait for another loud rumble of thunder to start the vehicle.

A second round of ear splitting thunder courses through the heavens and I throw the pick up in gear, then stomp on the gas pedal a little too hard, causing wet gravel to be thrown out behind me as I barrel down the lane.

As gravel gives way to asphalt, I type Twin Mountain into my GPS, giving it a said smile with the female voice tells me where to turn onto the highway. I know that it won't take long for my parents to realize that I am missing, and not long after that, my father will no doubt begin tracking mom's phone or the truck, but hopefully by that time, I will be too far away for them to do anything but send the police. I have to hope that they will get to me before James and Renee have time to kill me...or Bree.

**I'm sorry that this is so short and that it took so long to get out, but those of you who have school age kids understand how difficult the first few weeks are, trying to find a new rhythm while doing your best not to lose your mind. I'm also still battling writer's block, but I refuse to just throw out garbage, you deserve the best I am able to produce. Unfortunately, this means that the updates will continue to be slow for the foreseeable future, but I know that most of you will appreciate quality over quantity in any case. Hugs, love, and super shmexy Jaspers for you all lol.**


	25. Busted

**First off, I want to thank each and every single one of you for your kind words and thoughts over the past few weeks and I'm sorry that I haven't answered.**

**Second, yes, I deleted the A/N to put this chapter up :-)**

**It's been difficult trying to find my groove again, but I feel so guilty for leaving you all hanging. If you find any glaring mistakes, be a dear and point them out so I can fix them.**

** So...I hope this doesn't suck as much as I think it does.**

**Yeah, still don't own.**

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. What the hell was I thinking? I should have known that I wasn't going to get out that easily.

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" his tone is calm as the lake I'd spent so much time watching but his eyes are a tempest of emotion.

"You hid in the back of my truck under the bed cover? What in the nine hells would ever possess you to do something like that?" I ask finally, still perplexed at the thought of these two ogres hiding in the bed of my truck for the last forty five minutes. Then again, my mind has been on the fritz ever since I first saw two sets of eyes glaring at me in the rear view mirror a half an hour ago.

Okay, maybe the second question wasn't the best one to ask because it finally becomes to much for him to handle. "Because we were worried about you! Dammit Bella, I thought I was supposed to be the impulsive one! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because that's what it fucking looks like!" Emmett's seethes, barely glancing at Seth when he appears with three cups of coffee from the gas station I'd pulled into when my older brother had silently demanded I stop.

"You called me Bella," I mutter, taken aback at his rare use of my given name in lieu of one of the endless nicknames he's stockpiled over the years.

"What the hell did you expect? For me to be all sunshine and rainbows over my sister suddenly turning into an idiot and running off to duke it out with two psychos?" I jump a foot in the air as one of his hands slams into the side of my truck, causing the metal to collapse in on itself.

"Em, I'm sorry that I upset you, but I have to do this. I won't let those sickos hurt anyone else. They have that girl and she doesn't stand a chance of surviving if she isn't found soon." I risk peering over to my younger sibling, looking for a shred of support, but it is in vain. Never in my life had I ever seen Seth this angry over anything. "Dammit, it's not just about me and Gavin now...she's someone's daughter too."

"We get that Bells, honestly we do, but try to look at it from our point of view. We almost lost you once," Seth chimes in, his voice saturated with his anger and hurt, "What do you think it would do to this family if we lost you forever?And did you ever stop long enough to consider what we would have to tell Gavin if you didn't come home?"

"Why did you guys hide in my truck anyways?" I inquire, making no attempt to hide the fact that I'm ignoring his questions. Right now I'll do almost anything to avoid the growing chasm of pain in my chest.

"Jasper came downstairs freaking out and said something about hurting your arm and you sneaking off," Em interjects with a huff before herding me into the cab, where I am squished between my brothers hulking forms, "When I pushed, he admitted that he'd grabbed your arm too hard and that he scared you. We didn't think it it was a good idea for you to take off on your own even if it was just to think, so we hid in the back so we would be close if you needed us. I sure as hell didn't expect you to declare that you going on a suicide mission! I might beat him to a pulp for leaving that part out-"

"I was scared, but it was only for a second, I swear. His grip is almost as strong as yours, by the way," I quickly defend, not wanting Jasper to become another statistic because of his fear of losing me and his bad reaction as a result, "It frightened me for a moment, but then I remembered that Jasper, of all people, would never consciously do anything to hurt me. He ran out before I had a chance to tell him that though and I couldn't waste my chance to get away."

When Em directs the vehicle back onto the pavement, I cannot hide the shock that rolls over my features when the GPS on the dash indicates that we're moving towards my original destination instead of back the way we came. We aren't going home. "Where are we going?"

"Don't look so surprised baby girl. I can't believe I'm actually going to admit this but..." he grumbles something under his breath while expertly integrating us into the traffic flow heading north westerly, "You were right about one thing in all of your madness. We cannot let them destroy one more life, not if we can help it. You went about it in the worst freaking way of course, but it doesn't change the fact that Bree Tanner needs our help and you are probably the best on to do that."

I don't answer and a tense silence falls over the cab while the miles tick by. Fifteen minutes later, a muffled groan to my right jolts me out of my planning of how to find Bree before James or Victoria, I cannot stomach calling her Renee anymore, have a chance to kill her...or worse.

Seth nods to the road behind us when I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Um yeah, I think we're about to have company because that looks an awful lot like Edward's crazy ass bike and it's catching up fast."

"Shit. It's not just Edward," I surmise as two more motorcycles come into my line of sight.

"Like Jake would let his princess run off on his own," Emmett smiles wryly, "Jazz is probably one of them too, so you might as well get ready to get bawled out something fierce little sis."

"Don't remind me brother bear," I groan as we pull off the road for a second time.

The situation goes from bad to worse when an unfamiliar blue car rolls onto the shoulder, it's tires barely having time to stop their final revolution before my sister leaps out of the car and comes barreling towards us. I'm not going to have time to save Bree...because Leah is going to murder me on the side of the highway...in the pouring rain.

"Bella Swan, I'm going to kick your ass so hard that you're not going to taste anything but the soles of my boots for a fucking year!" she shrieks, neatly dodging the parking motorcycles as she sprints across the edge of the blacktop.

No one bothers to catch the banshee as she passes by, half of them ignorant to the extent of my sister's temper, the others too afraid to get caught inside of her striking range. In a heartbeat, a wet crack echoes round us and the side of my face is set alight with a stinging sensation that brings tears to my eyes. My brain barely registers that Leah has just effectively bitch slapped me or the gasps that erupt around us when her arms form a protective cage around my body and she starts sobbing loudly in my ear.

"Don't ever disappear on me like that ever again," she commands, her voice huskier than normal, "You scared me-so bad...I love you baby B..."

"I love you too Lee-Lee."

I don't know how long she holds me, nor when Emmett and Seth enclose us in their arms while yet another one of our crazy friends thinks enough to cover our group hug with an umbrella. My next actively conscious thought doesn't occur until I am carefully extracted from my siblings embrace and then immediately drawn into the trembling arms of my beloved.

"Bella, my Bella," my name is a reverent chant bubbling out of Jasper as he buries his face in my hair and crushes me to his chest, "I'm so sorry that I scared you-that I ran away after promising that I would never leave you—that you felt that you couldn't wait for-"

"Jasper, please stop apologizing," I mournfully plead because his words, his tone, and his tears are breaking my heart to pieces, "You didn't mean it and I overreacted, it's going to take a whole lot more than that to make me stop loving you."

"Sugar, you are too good to me," he responds in that panty dropping Southern accent, his honeyed lips feathering kisses over my hair and down my face until they make contact with my own.

"Hey, I don't mean to break up the roadside lovefest kids, hilarious as it is, but if we're going to get in the shit and play superheroes, we'd better commence with the hauling ass before the parental units catch up," Jake interrupts with a hoarse chuckle as he exchanges a knuckle-bump with Emmett.

"I'll take the bike Jazzman, you ride with Belly," Emmett offers after everyone gives me a hug and, in some cases, a stern warning, then starts plodding over to the machine while my ever attentive soul mate begins guiding me back to my truck.

Seth opts to ride with Sam and Leah, giving Jasper and I the privacy we so desperately need right now. As we meticulously follow the directions on the GPS, my boyfriend tires of simply holding my hand and I learn of his unhappiness when suddenly he wraps one arm around me and drags me across the seat until I am safely tucked into his side.

"Alice, Rose, Esme, and Sue have Gavin," he qualifies conversationally as if we weren't in the process of hunting down two lunatics holding a young girl hostage, "A few people Esme works with at the hospital have kids about his age and they set up a play date at the house to keep him, and themselves, occupied while Charlie, Billy, and Carlisle help the police with the search."

"What do they think we're all doing out of the house then?" I can't help but ask, knowing that my parents would never willing let us out of their sight while James and Renee are on the loose.

"Me, Jake, and Eddie convinced them that it might be best to get you out of the house for the day, to try and get your mind off of things," he explains after taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke out towards the open window, "With their ability to track the cars and our phones, it won't be long before they realized that we got one over on them, but hopefully we'll be able to find something helpful by then. If our coordinates don't tip them off to our intentions right away, the empty gun safe might."

"You guys brought guns with you?" my tone is incredulous but it's out before I can control myself.

He shrugs a shoulder, "James and," his eyes drift to my face for a moment before he continues, "Victoria are dangerous in the worst kind of ways darlin', and sadly you know that better than most. There was zero chance in hell that any of us were coming after you empty handed on the off chance that you'd been taken again. It's not like the others, especially me, Seth, Leah, or Emmett, intended on those bastards living very much longer when we finally found them anyways."

Not for the first time, my head and heart are overwhelmed over the lengths that my family will go to in order to protect one another. James and...Victoria just happen to be the threat this time. I'm positive that if Rosalie hadn't killed Royce in self defense when she did, he would have had his miserable existence ended at the hands of one of the others...possibly mine even.

"Thank you," is all I can manage because everything else that is swirling around my head doesn't even come close to having the substance needed to convey what I'm feeling right now.

He presses another kiss into my still damp hair before turning off onto a gravel road that is going to lead us to our first destination to search for Bree and her captors. I watch the cluster of vehicles that follow behind and fight the tears that threaten to come when I can't help but wonder if we're all going to make it out of this alive.

**I know it wasn't action packed or a big fight, which I know some of you were hoping for, but I hope it's enough to tide you over until I can find the right time, place, and head space to write the imminent confrontation. Hugs and love to you all.**


	26. Finding Bree

**I just found out that BDAMtB has been nominated for best story in the Glove Awards! Go check out the other nominees and maybe consider voting for me! ****Voting will open on the 5th of August!**

**Http: /thegloveawards(dot)webs(dot)com/**

**As always, point out any mistakes so I can correct them!**

**I still don't own!**

The winding road we're traveling on must have been a failed experiment in which a bunch of drunk people decided to follow a scared rabbit with a gravel truck because some of the curves give a whole new meaning to the old ideals of a kiss your ass turn.

"Damn, and I thought Texas has some screwed up roads! This thing just makes me think of a gaggle of drunks chasin' prairie dogs with a cement truck," the blonde angel to my left snorts, proving once again how in sync we are when we allow ourselves to be.

"Just switch out the prairie dog with a rabbit and I think it would be a fairly accurate description," I snigger, thankful for the moment of levity amongst the tempest of other more morose events unfolding around us.

Jasper extends his index finger over the steering wheel, "That's our first stop, make sure that cannon of your is locked and loaded."

I ignore his low growl of protest when our bodies break contact and reach down to unzip the blue bag resting on the floorboard. Mindful not to aim the muzzle in his direction, I use the sleeve of my sweatshirt to give it a quick wipe down and eject the clip. I can't help but smirk at the way his eyes darken when, after tapping it on the dash to make sure it's full, I expertly punch the clip back into place and pull the slide back to load the weapon.

"That was so fucking hot," I hear him blurt out and glance up to see his cheeks flush adorably upon realizing what he'd just said aloud.

"Oh really? Does Jasper Whitlock have a thing for girls with guns that he forgot to tell me about?" my smirk evolves into a full blown smile.

His head dips slightly, obscuring his face with a curtain of golden waves, "Just seeing you-doing that-so damn strong-I can definitely see why guys like that sort of thing now."

With no small amount of smugness radiating from me, I lean over and brush my beloveds hair away from his face, taking the time to tuck it behind his ear before pressing my lips to his cheek, "You are too cute for words sometimes. I love you."

He repeats the sentiment just as we crest the hill and the dilapidated building comes into full view. "Wow, that is some creepy shit goin' on there."

I bob my head in agreement, "Well, it's a creepy kind of hideout for some creepy kind of people. All we need now is Scooby-Doo and we'll have ourselves a bona fide mystery to solve."

"You forgot about the van angel, you can't do Scooby-Doo without the awesome van," he chortles, flicking his cigarette out of the window.

"No I didn't," I roll my eyes in mock annoyance as we come to a stop in front of the structure, "We have the Escalade back at the house. It can be the Mystery Machine of the twenty-first century!"

Our high strung laughter is cut short when Jasper's cell phone starts playing 'I'm Too Sexy' from Right Said Fred. My boyfriend groans and flips the thing open. "I see you were fucking with my ring tones again Em, remind me to kick your ass for that later."

There is a long pause, only broken by Jasper's grunts of approval or growls of disagreement, as my brother rattles on and I'm not oblivious to the way his azure eyes flicker over to me more than once during the conversation.

I do my best to wait patiently, staying quiet until the call is disconnected and Jasper lets out a heavy sigh. "Well? What did he say?"

"Basically that we should split up into groups so we can cover more ground," he replies, covering my hands with his own, "And for once, I have no complaints with his reasoning, other than his choice of pairings."

"He wants us to split up? You and me?" The tight line his lips meld into is enough to answer my questions, "But why wouldn't he want us paired up?"

"Because he thinks that we might be more focused on finding Bree and getting the hell out of here if we weren't...distracted by the other," his eyes meet mine, "He's right though. I would be more worried about making sure you were okay and didn't fall or anything than searching for the girl if you were near."

The pain in my chest flares at his calm rejection, but I do my best to stifle it and fire off another question that springs to mind, "So...I hate to ask this, but who am I going in with then, if not you?"

"Erm, well, Seth and Edward both have volunteered to go with you actually, but we have enough to break up into teams of two. I guess, in the end, it's up to you which one tags along." Yeah, there is no way that he's happy about this even if it is the most logical course to take.

He might be a slave to his twisted and usually spot on logic, but thankfully no such restraint holds me from doing what I believe is right. "And what if I said that I the only person I wanted to be teamed up with is my gorgeous, fiercely protective, cowboy hat wearing fiance instead of one or both of the other ones?" I have no idea what made me say those exact words, but as soon as they're out, Jasper freezes.

"Fiance?" he finally asks, looking somewhat incredulous. I nod my head once and then the ache that has resided in me for so long disappears when that damn panty soaking smile of his makes a sudden appearance, "Well, who am I then to deny such a rare beauty her hearts desire? I wouldn't dare dream of separating her from her betrothed and I don't think anyone else would either, if they know what's good for them."

Then his lips are crashing against mine, passionate, fiery, and glorious. His arms lock me to him and I feel his silken locks under my fingers, though for the life of me I can't remember making the decision to put them there. His tongue darts along my lips and I instinctively open them, eager to taste him again.

"You...really...mean...it?" he nearly whimpers between kisses that simultaneously set my body and soul alight, "You...really...want to...marry...me?"

"Yes," I breath into his mouth, "I want...to be yours...forever...if you still...want me..."

Jasper pulls his head away so that our foreheads are touching, "I will always want you Bella Swan, don't you dare ever doubt that. I love you and I love Ga-"

"Time to go lovebirds!" Leah's lyrical voice, along with her banging on the windows, effectively pops the bubble that had inadvertently formed in the cab around us.

I scowl at her and she responds my flipping me the bird as we slide out of the truck. Jake hands me an umbrella and ducks under the on his boyfriend his holding while Emmett, once again clad in his black canvas duster, makes a show of holstering his pistol before cackling, "Shiny! Let's be bad guys!"

"Um, Emmybear? We're still the good guys here, in case you don't remember," I snicker as I take my place at my fiance's side.

He shrugs one massive shoulder, "That's shiny and all, but we really could use some grenades right now."

Jake rolls his eyes at my elder sibling but his irritation falls short when a hint of a smile plays at his lips, "Just how many Firefly references are you going to toss out there Em? I thought I'd ask because whether you want to believe it or no, not everyone here speaks Browncoat."

"And my heart will bleed a little for them everyday," Em retorts, the tone of his voice reflecting nothing but complete sincerity.

"Um, okay then...Moving on now," Edward chimes in with a nervous chuckle before any careless words have a chance to ignite the already volatile situation, "Is everyone armed and ready? Good. I would suggest that we all switch our phones to vibrate so they don't accidentally give our positions away should someone call."

Everyone nods in agreement as they make the necessary adjustments. As we ready to go our separate ways, something else comes to mind, "If you have to shoot anyone, aim below the waist. In most places, you can't be convicted of attempted murder if you shoot someone below the waist."

Murmurs of understanding intermingle with mutterings of protest. A shiver runs through me as the reality of the situation hits me, by the end of this, at least one person will be dead...and if we're not cautious, maybe more than one. Then my sons face pushes its way to the forefront and my trembling ceases. Farther strengthening my resolve is the grainy image of Bree Tanner, taken just minutes before those monsters stole her away from her mother and her life.

"Are you ready sugar?" the silken voice of my guardian angel breaks through my bubble of introspection as his hand comes to rest on my shoulder.

"As I ever will be," I confess and his cerulean orbs flicker with understanding.

He leans down, eyes never closing, until his lips brush against mine. The kiss itself is chaste, but I can feel the heady weight of his emotions behind the simple gesture. When we part, he touches his forehead to mine, "I won't let anything happen to you Bella, I swear. I love you too much to ever let someone take you away from me."

"I love you too," I answer, smothering the tears that threaten to make an appearance before I grab his hand and give it a tug, "Now let's go before I remember that I'm a coward."

I'm grateful that there are no grand gestures made as we pair off and make our way into the crumbling structure that absolutely reeks of rot, mold, and death. The last one could have been a product of my imagination, but the look on Jasper's face makes me think that he senses it too.

Emmett and Seth trail behind us while the other four veer off and take the route opposite of ours. Light isn't too much of a problem treading down the corridor, as there are bits and pieces of the roof missing which allows the weak rays of the sun to filter through. The sounds of dripping water echo around us though the rhythm is disjointed and eerie rather than calming.

We take our time, checking every room for signs of life as we go because there is no way in hell that we want one of those murdering bastards sneaking up behind us. In any other situation, I would be on my toes in preparation for one of my siblings to jump out of the shadows and scare the crap out of me, but a backward glance immediately shuts that thought down. Seth and Emmett, who are always smiling and joking around, have matching blank masks etched onto their faces that make them nearly unrecognizable.

After what seems like an eternity, we come upon an area that unfolds into what I can only think of as some kind of staging area for inventory to be stowed until it is shipped. It's in this area where my luck runs out and my usual graceless self decides to make an appearance. The toe of my boot catches on a piece of broken concrete as we're crossing the space and I go crashing head first onto my hands and knees with a heavy thud. My Desert Eagle skids across the floor, the sounds emitted from the gun scraping the concrete as it rolls away makes me cringe.

After a few seconds of wide-eyed silence to make sure that my spill wasn't heard, Jasper blurs to my side and helps me to my feet while Seth retrieves my weapon. "Are you-" my fiance is suddenly drown out by a bloodcurdling scream. He points in the direction it originated from, "That way," he takes the lead once again, his feet seeming to barely touch the ground as his leonine form moves closer to the source of the scream.

Emmett deftly maneuvers passed me to take the second position once we discover that this section of the building is ill lit and filled with what I think is abandoned farming machinery. Seth sticks close to my right, occasionally grabbing my arm and guiding me around obstacles that permeate the area.

Another shriek pierces the stagnant air, much closer than before, and Jasper suddenly goes still. He extends a finger to our left and it takes a moment to identify that the shadows are moving over there. I'm concentrating so hard on the darkness that I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone starts rattling in my pocket. I drop to one knee, ignoring the pain that races through my legs, and I pull the thing out of my pocket. The screen is blinking that I have one new text message so hunch over it to block as much light as I can before flipping it open.

_Is that you guys across the room? It's hard to see anything but the shadows moving. L_

I tug Jasper's pant leg and show him the message. His eyes dance back and forth from the phone to the far corner a few times before he seems to make a decision. With a nod, he takes the phone and types out a response before shoving the rectangle back into my hands and mumbling something to Em then disappearing into the gloom.

"Where the hell is he going?" I hiss into Emmett's ear, too scared to keep my voice neutral.

"He's going to make sure that it's them instead of James or Victoria, now shut up and let me listen," is his annoyed response and I can feel my blood start to freeze in my veins.

Not taking his eyes off of the place Jasper disappeared, my older brother reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. I try to read the message over his shoulder, but he snaps it closed just after I make out that the text was from my boyfriend. Without a word, he nods and takes my hand to guide us over to the others.

"I'm sure it was Bree," Sam is telling Jasper as our groups meld once again, "Same dark hair, dark eyes, looks the right age too. The redhead was washing her off when I peeked in there. No sign of James though, but I don't doubt that he's lurking somewhere nearby."

"Where the hell did my sister find a chick like you?" Emmett asks, in awe of the chocolate skinned woman in front of us, "Are you in the army or something?"

Her lips lips curl into a genuine smile, "My dad and brothers are career Marines, you learn real quick to toughen up if you have any hope of surviving that kind of childhood."

At her explanation I swear I see Emmett gulp and if this conversation had been taking place somewhere other than here, I'd be laughing my ass off at his discomfort. I'll just have to bring it up again once we're all safe and sound.

I instead opt to crouch at Jasper's side while everyone maps out how we're going to disable Victoria and free Bree while we have the window of opportunity to do so. Edward and Jake offer to scout for James, with Emmett, Seth, and Jasper joining them after Sam, Leah, and I make it safely out with Bree.

I can't completely dispel the trepidation building as we execute our plan. Us girls wait outside of the room while the guys neutralize Victoria. All I hear is a bunch of scuffling and a couple of grunts coming out of the dimly lit room, then almost a minute of silence passes before Jake calls us to come get Bree.

I follow my sister and her girlfriend into the storage room and a gut-wrenching sob bursts out of me when my eyes finally find the girl that could have, would have had a future similar to mine if we hadn't gotten lucky and found her so quickly.

All sense of propriety forgotten, I rush over to her and hug her as hard as I dare. "I can't believe we found you in time," I gush, unable to wrap my head around the fact that my insane plan had actually worked, albeit with the help of my equally as insane family.

"Thank you so much," she weeps into my shoulder as she clings to me for dear life, "I thought they were going to kill me. I-I was s-so scared."

"Shh," I sooth as I stroke her matted, damp hair, "You're safe now. The police are on their way. They can't hurt you anymore."

"We need to get her out of here as soon as we can," Edward gently commands, eying Bree's wounds with more than a little concern, "Sam, Leah, would you mind carrying her out to the cars? Bella, you should go with them since you probably know best on how to keep her calm until the authorities arrive."

I can tell that Edward is covertly telling us to go through with our original plan of evacuating Bree while they look for James without chancing anymore distress for the frightened girl. After taking an unwilling look at Victoria's inert form a few feet away and resisting the urge to cringe, I also have the feeling that the boys will push the whole "plausible deniability" bullshit on us if we choose to argue. So I keep my trap shut and hand the young woman over to be carried to freedom.

After Leah and Sam flank Bree and have her cradled between them, Jasper wraps his arms around me and gives me a toe curling kiss. "I'll be out before you have a chance to miss me," he whispers in my ear then nuzzles my neck for a moment before releasing me, "Love you angel."

"Love you too," I beam as I shuffle after the trio of girls who are heading out the door, suddenly eager to feel the sun on my face again.

Without anyone to lead me around the rubble and debris it doesn't take long for me to fall about twenty feet behind the others. It really can't be helped though, because if I'm not overtly cautious, taking care to avoid anything that might trip me up, Bree won't be the only person needing a trip to the hospital.

The sun, now on the wane, doesn't offer the same amount of light in the dingy hallways as it did on the way in, so I take my mom's phone out and use it as a meager flashlight while making my way through the building. My luck strikes again though when a rat bolts out of one of the rooms and scurries over my boots before disappearing again. Unfortunately for me, the appearance of the rodent makes me jump backwards in surprise, and I tumble over a broken chair. I try to keep my footing, but gravity eventually wins and I fall, flailing my arms, into the empty room the rat just vacated. When I make contact with the floor, the wind is ejected from my lungs and I'm left gasping like a fish out of water.

Instinctively I roll on my side with a groan and try to catch my breath. "Fuck," I moan as my head begins to throb painfully at the spot where I cracked it on the cement floor.

"Now that's no way to be talking Isabella," the voice straight out of my nightmares chuckles as something moves in the dark around me, "Well, at least not yet."

**You say you hate me, but I know you mean it in the most loving sense lol**


	27. Ending the Nightmare

**I almost fell out of my chair when I seen that BDAMtB hit 500 reviews on FF! I've never had a story do that before, I feel like a rockstar! Thank all of you so much for being so fucking awesome!**

**My ownership only consists of the plot and my crazy OC's that I've interjected into the Twi-verse.**

"Now that's no way to be talking Isabella," the voice straight out of my nightmares chuckles as something moves in the dark around me, "Well, at least not yet."

"James," the word is dripping with venom, a curse rather than an acknowledgment. I shift around in an attempt to pinpoint his location amidst the gloom and the barrel of my pistol suddenly digging into my ribs gives me a boost of confidence, "I'm surprised that you haven't turned tail and ran as far away as your feet would carry you by now."

"Tsk tsk Isabella," he chides and I notice a red light bobbing around the space his voice is coming from, "I see you still haven't learned to control that pretty little mouth of yours. No matter, I've always enjoyed a challenge. So many things I have planned for you..."

"Go fuck yourself," I retaliate while trying to find my footing, "Find out what it's like to actually have a fuck buddy that's willing to touch your slimy ass."

The darkness swirls around me and out of nowhere a boot connects with my shoulder. I bite down hard on my lip, refusing to increase his sadistic glee by crying out in pain. Then a light cuts through the black, momentarily blinding me. "It's such a shame that I can't allow you to live Isabella, there is nothing more in this world I would like more than to teach you how to properly use that mouth and plump, broken body of yours."

"Good thing I'd rather die then," I fake another stumble and angle my body sideways as I fall to my knees, ensuring that the side with the gun is out of the spotlight, "My family is coming for me James and the police are probably here already, you've nowhere to go no matter what you do to me."

I hear a sharp expulsion of air just before my right calf is set alight with screaming pain. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth as I grind my teeth into my lip again. I can't squash the spike of fear that lodges itself in my chest as I am temporarily blinded by the tears filling my eyes.

"Let them come, it just gives me more to play with," the monster chortles, making my stomach turn when I catch a flash of his flat blue eyes, "Just so you know, I'm going to film all of it with this handy little recorder that your mother bought me. She was so eager to have a record of the things we've done together. She-"

"THAT BITCH IS NOT MY MOTHER!" my shriek is painful to even my own ears, so I can only imagine what it sounds like to him, "MY MOTHER IS SUE SWAN! THAT STUPID CUNT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A FUCKING INCUBATOR!"

In that moment, when my rage is at its peak, James makes a fatal mistake. He moves so that I can see the full outline of his body. Before I can second guess myself, I draw the Desert Eagle and fire.

I watch as his body is thrown backwards, a howl ripping through the stagnant air. Years of pain, humiliation, and paralyzing fear melt away as his lifeblood begins to stain the dirty floor. In the light of the fallen camcorder, a smirk of perverse pleasure welds itself to my face as I observe him writhing and screaming not so differently than I did when he and his friends destroyed my body and murdered my boyfriend. The separate pool of crimson seeping from my own limb has no effect on the euphoria coursing through me, his wailing a celestial symphony dismantling the remnants of the nightmare I'd lived for so long.

"Bella!" Jasper cries out from behind the light and I just manage to tear my gaze away from the still undulating James when my personal heaven streaks out of the dark, accompanied by my brothers.

"Jasper, I'm...I'm okay," I confess, more than a tad surprised when the words ring more true right now than they ever have.

In a flash, I'm happily being smothered in the aroma of cloves and sun kissed leather. "I've got you darlin', so if you'd like to put the gun down, feel free."

I nod into his neck and my hands go lax as the pistol is removed from my grasp. "Where the hell did Leah and Sam go?" I hear Emmett snarl as he helps Jasper lift me, "They should have known better than to leave B on her lonesome."

"S'not their fault," I mumble, trying not to wince when my leg is jostled, "I fell behind, they were taking care of Bree like they should have. Blame me."

"We're not blamin' anyone for anything right now sugar, we just need to get all our ducks in a row so the police know who not to shoot," the beautiful boy holding me to his chest retorts.

"Says you," brother bear grumbles under his breath just as we break free of the building and are bathed in the soft glow of twilight.

I can't tell if it's because of blood loss or that the adrenaline in my veins is beginning to wane, but the sirens of the emergency vehicles and the cacophony of voices seems so far away as Em and Jazz lay me down on a gurney. It's a losing battle to keep my eyelids open, so I give in with a sigh, barely noticing Jasper's lips brushing against my own as I drift away.

**I know it's uber short, but I didn't want to leave you guys in limbo.**


	28. Finale

**I guess a few of you were a bit perturbed with the way I left off last chapter, so I am trying to absolve myself by grinding out another chapter. BTW, this is the end, it sneaked up on me with zero warning, so I'm just as surprised as you. Either way, I hope I don't disappoint!**

**Still no ownage on my behalf.**

I make a point to sneer at the nurse as Charlie pushes my wheelchair towards the exit. "I still don't understand why I have to be ferried around in a wheelchair when I could have used the crutches to get to the car."

You'd think that being sprung from the hospital after spending over a week in there I would be much happier than I am, but when you know that your family, having missed the opportunity to throw a party on the actual day of my birthday, are no doubt rushing around at this second in their attempts to put the finishing touches on their nefarious plan of having a birthday slash welcome home party.

"Nice kitty," Dad chuckles, impervious to my crabby mood, "It's hospital policy to be discharged with a wheelchair escort so the patient doesn't fall on their way out and sue the hell out of the place."

"Like I need the money," I deadpan and prepare to heave myself up onto my new enemy, a set of shiny new aluminum crutches, as Rosalie's scarlet Skyline rolls to a stop with Jasper at the wheel.

I get to my feet as my scarred angel leaps from the vehicle and darts to my side, "Ready to blow this popsicle stand sweetheart?"

"That depends," his grin is infectious and I find my lips curling into an involuntary smile, "Are you going to save me from the ostentatious party that my family has planned?"

He waits until we are safely in the car and following my father's SUV down the road before answering, "Well, where would you like to go, if not a party that everyone has spent a week putting together because they love you?"

"Maybe we could escape and go rent a cabin for a week or two," I reply, beaming brighter than a lighthouse as he intertwines his fingers with mine and brushes his lips across my knuckles.

"What about Gavin?" Of course he would bring up our child while I'm trying to devise away to get out of the scariest form of cruel and unusual punishment. Our son...

"Fine, you run in and get him, I'll wait in the car. We can buy whatever we need on our way," I explain even as I know that this is a losing battle.

One dark eyebrow lifts above the rim of his sunglasses, "And deprive our boy of seeing his mother's face when she sees how hard he and the rest of the family worked to put this shindig together? How could you be so heartless darlin'?"

"Urgh, no fair Jasper, using our child against me!" I groan in defeat and drop my head back against the headrest.

"I never promised to fight fair angel," my fiance snickers before rolling down the window and lighting a cigarette, "I know that you don't like parties Bella, but after everything that's happened, I believe that our friends and family deserve something happy to remind them that not all is doom and gloom in the world. Please, if not for yourself, do this for them. You have no idea how everybody has thrown themselves into setting this up for you."

"How am I going to get around this party then? I'm dangerous on my own two feet as it is and now I have two extra weapons to maim people with," I am grasping at any argument now, no matter how feeble, "They can't seriously be expecting me to sit in a chair like the Queen of England and have everyone come to me."

"Of course not," Jasper hastily assures while giving my hand a comforting squeeze, "Emmett may or may not have made mention of an electric scooter to get you around. The party is going to be mostly outside so I don't see where it would hurt. Did I mention that the guys who own the restaurant that I took you to on our date are catering the party?"

"Maybe we can stick around for a little while before sneaking off to hide," I acquiesce, shaking my head at my own weak will.

It doesn't take long to get home and I am thoroughly shocked at the lengths my family has gone to. Thousands of clear christmas lights wind around the massive oak trees flanking the drive with their trunks also sporting wide bands of blue, silver, or black ribbons and topped with matching bows that have to be at least two feet tall. Every fifty yards or so, it seems, are large bunches of balloons kept in place by color-coordinated weighted bags, all of them proudly stating 'Happy Birthday!' across their faces.

When the trees give way to perfectly manicured lawn, I literally do a double take when I spot the sheer amount of people gathered. Some are playing horseshoes, others are taking turns on the circus sized trampoline, complete with a swing and tightrope strung over it, and yet still more are closer to the lake, taking advantage of the eighty plus degree sunny day and taking turns swimming, paddle boating or being pulled around by a few boats on their inflatables. Amongst the madness, I can see Jake and Edward standing with Nessie as a group of children take turns petting her big head.

"Who the hell are all of these people?" I gasp, all plans of sticking around fleeing my distressed mind.

"Someone forgot to censor Alice and she invited most of the school, their families, and pretty much everyone that her parents, your parents, and Billy are acquainted with," Jasper confesses in a subdued tone, "It won't be that bad darlin', I'll be at your side the entire time." He must know that I'm less than thrilled about the mob that seems to all be here for my benefit if he's using that platitude already.

"You knew, that's why you kept using Gavin against me," I accuse and can scarcely contain a furious snarl when he gives a timid nod in response, "Fucking traitor. You know that I'm not good with people, especially crowds, and yet here you are, throwing me to the wolves."

"It's not like that Bella," he tries to defend himself as he parks the car.

I don't give him time to finish, throwing the car door open and grabbing my crutches as panic transforms into fury over being deceived, "Whatever Jasper. Tell my parents that I'm going to my room and taking my meds before I have a full blown panic attack. Someone can come and get me when the mob disperses."

I start hobbling away before he can get over to help me, then pointedly ignore him and the rest of my family who happen to cross my path in their attempts to assist in my trek to the house. For the first time, I use the small elevator to travel to the top level instead of fighting the stairs.

Needless to say, I'm not surprised in the least when I reach the top and see Leah waiting for me, her expression as black as her onyx eyes. "So Bitchella, care to explain why you just busted your boyfriend's balls over something he ultimately had no control over and stormed off like a petulant child?"

"What do want me to say Lee-Lee?" I spit and try to move around her, "He knows that I abhor crowds and all the shit that comes with being the center of attention, the least he could have done was warn me."

Her hand shoots out and clamps down on my upper arm, halting my movements instantly, "B, he didn't tell you because the party was supposed to be a surprise, you know, one of those things that come out of nowhere because you have no clue that they're happening? Jasper didn't deserve you going off on him because we told him to keep his trap shut about what we were planning."

I glare up at my sibling, "Everyone who has ever gotten to know me ought to realize by now that I loathe these kind of things. I may have been wrong about bitching at him, but what did you guys expect? For me to be all happy and shit over having a party filled with a few hundred people I won't see or speak to ever again after today? If it had just been you guys, it would have been different, but it's not."

She releases my arms and applauds me mockingly, "Congratulations, you have just single handely proved that there really is a bigger, more selfish bitch on this planet besides me. Are you really going to stand there and tell me that you're pissed off over the fact that people who love you and would do anything to make you happy decided to throw you a party? What's gotten into you?"

"You mean more than being in so much pain that I want to curl into a ball and scream? Well for starter's, I just got released from the hospital after being shot," I retaliate without hesitation,"That's after killing the man who nearly destroyed me and finding out that my incubator was killed by someone in my family, in case you don't remember. I can't sleep more than a few hours at a time without waking up screaming bloody murder, oh, and the fun time I have cringing every time someone I don't trust with my entire being gets within five feet of me, and I still have a child to take care of and school to finish if I plan on doing anything more than be a welfare queen. What the hell do you think got into me, you ask? Those fuckers are still managing to hurt me and my family and they are dead Leah, so I'm sorry if I would rather have a quiet afternoon in my own home with my family and friends rather than be in the middle of some useless social function that I didn't want in the first place."

If I wasn't so angry that I'd begun to cry, I would laugh at the expression on my sister's face. Her eyes are as big as coasters and her mouth is gaping like a fish. The air around us is electric as she regains her composure and sighs. "Fine, you want to know why Alice invited half the town? Here you go. Jasper told her that he planned on asking for your hand properly at your party today and she went hog wild with the guest list knowing that you'd never be able to turn that man down and break his heart."

It's my turn to look like an idiot now and I stammer a few times before managing to choke out, "He was going to propose?"

Leah puts a hand up to stop me from asking anything else, "Don't worry about it B. Everyone in the yard was privy to your little tantrum and started finding excuses to leave so you don't have to be subjected to a shitload of people who came to wish you a happy birthday and offer their congratulations on you finally getting your happy ending."

She lithely traipses towards the stairwell but pauses and turns back just before she vanishes from my line of sight, "Just so you know, Jazz is sitting on the front porch right now, clutching a ring box for dear life and wondering if you are ever actually going to stop running long enough to give him a chance to prove himself worthy of you and Gavin. I hope your happy now that you got what you wanted and ruined everything for him."

I'm frozen in place for a few minutes after she leaves, my mind racing a million miles an hour as it rehashes her declaration. Jasper didn't give away anything on the way home that would have clued me into the fact that he had such a grand proposal planned.

Dammit.

Even if part of me wholeheartedly believes that there is no way that such a godlike creature would ever want to shackle themselves to me for an eternity, I have to try and fix this with him before...

"Bella?" I glance up at my name to see Jasper hesitating at the top of the stairs, looking every bit the insecure nineteen year old boy he really is, "Can we talk?"

I wordlessly nod my consent and he glides across the floor to take my arm. He stays quiet while helping me over to the love seat, then allowing me to get situated before kneeling down beside me. "I'm sorry Bella, I wasn't thinking when I told Alice about what I was planning," he qualifies in a melancholy tone, "I just got so caught up in wanting the world to know how much I love you and so desperately want to be your husband and Gavin's dad-I lost myself in my fantasies of how this day would go-and forgot something so much more important than a stupid party..."

As his words trail off, I reach out and rest my hand on his cheek only to find that his skin is wet. My beautiful boy is crying and it's all my fault. "Oh Jasper, please don't cry," I beg as I pull him onto the seat beside me despite the angry protest of my injured limb, "I can't bear to see your tears, knowing it's my fault they've appeared in the first place."

"I forgot what all of this would do to you," he mumbles into my hair after I sink into his arms and rest my head on his chest, "What kind of idiot forgets that the love of his life hates crowds while planning his proposal? If that is any indication of who I am, maybe you should take Gavin and get far away from me before I can do irreparable damage to either of you."

"I'm not taking our son anywhere without you," I declare through my own weeping, "Wherever you are, we belong as well. I don't need public gestures to know that."

"Bella, you have to know that I want you and Gavin forever, no matter how much the notion scares me," Jasper admits with such fervency that their genuineness cannot be discounted, "Tell me how to fix this please."

I raise up from my resting place and brush the errant locks of hair from his eyes to peer in them, "Do you truly want this? To marry a broken girl like me and be a real father to her child?"

He bobs his head so emphatically that I briefly wonder if he might be related to Alice in some way, "I want you and I want Gavin. I want us to be a real family."

"Then ask me Jasper. Ask me to marry you here and now, when the moment will be ours alone forever."

Before I have a chance to take another breath, my warrior angel is on his knees before me. I force out a shaky sigh as he dips his hand into his pocket and produces a simple silver toned ring that has a has a small heart shaped black diamond highlighted with a triangle of clear diamonds on either side of it.

"Isabella Christine Swan, I have tried time and again to find the appropriate words to express my love for you," he shakes his head sadly, never breaking his gaze from my face, "But they don't exist. So instead, I hope that despite my inability to speak as eloquently as you deserve, you give this man, kneeling and humbled before the most beautiful soul he has ever seen, the honor of being my wife?"

I reflexively grab his shirt and pull him to me. "Of course I will, you silly boy," I whisper and, after he slides the band onto my finger, I kiss him with every ounce of love I am able.

Time falls away as our mouths dance and soon I find myself reclining against the arm of the loveseat, my soul mate hovering over my prone body, murmuring words of love and devotion between reverent kisses. Finally unafraid, I let my hands slip under the hem of his shirt and explore the muscled planes of his back as we continue to kiss. He lets out a rumble of pleasure at the feeling and repays it by gingerly caressing my body wherever his hands can make contact. For the first time since I was a bumbling fourteen year old girl discovering the true differences between men and women, I revel in the contact rather than panicking and shrinking away from our intimate position.

Both of us have completely forgotten the party going on outside until the world reminds us of its presence in the form of Emmett's loud cough. "Yeah, um, everybody wants to know if the party is still on or if Bella came to her senses and rejected the idea of marrying your scrawny ass."

"You don't have to do this if you're not up to it," Jasper whispers too low for my elder sibling to hear, "We can just send him back with the news that you said yes and hide up here until the masses are partied out, if that's what you want."

I shake my head no as he draws back, "No. We will tell them in person. They've come here for us and they deserve that much."

"As you wish," his eyes flare with excitement while helping me to my feet. Emmett escorts us to the elevator, no doubt happy to avoid me bouncing down the stairs and making a return trip to the ER just hours after being set free.

By the time the three of us reach the patio doors, I'm almost positive that Jasper is going to explode if he doesn't get a chance to tell everyone about my acceptance withing the next few minutes. It's really too cute for words, watching my husband to be grinning like a Cheshire cat and bouncing like Alice after she's imbibed way too much caffeine.

I pause to put my shoes on, shooing the boys away because I have to prove to them that I can do this myself if I have any chance of taking care of my son while healing. It takes a few minutes of growing at the stubborn things and cursing whoever invented shoelaces, but I manage to get both shoes on without killing myself. Jasper's halo of flaxen waves are my central focus as I hobble through the kitchen, but I'm diverted by the phone suddenly ringing as I pass it.

"Great timing," I snark under my breath and grudgingly lift the receiver, "Hello?"

"Bella, just the girl I wanted to talk to," Bree's voice comes over the line, "I never got a chance to thank you for disposing of James and Victoria for me. They had outlived their usefulness and I was worried that I was going to have to ask my daddy to take care of them, but you and your family came along at the perfect time and did such a wonderful job that I just had to call and say thanks."

"Your dad set this up?" I inquire, disbelieving the mousy gentleman I'd met could be able to arrange something like this.

"Not that idiot you met," the young woman scoffs, "I meant Joham, my real daddy. You see he had to do it because my mommy was a selfish bitch and took me away from him. But she's dead now, so we don't have to worry about her interfering with daddy's plans for me and my sisters anymore. We're going to be the mothers of a new master race and you might be playing a big role in that yourself you know."

"What are you talking about?" Did James and Victoria manage to drive this girl insane while they had her?

"It doesn't matter right now Bella. Go and enjoy your little party, I'm sure we'll talk again soon." The call disconnects before I can reply and I'm left shifting my gaze from the phone, to my fiance, and back.

Jasper and the rest of my family come and collect me, misreading my confusion and horror over Bree's proclamation as nervousness. With new eyes I look at the throng of people around us and my stomach nearly revolts when the truth of the matter hits me. Even if she is crazy, she might be telling the truth. If she is telling the truth, that means I've traded James for someone who wants to use me to create a "new master race".

My nightmare isn't over.

**FIN?**


	29. Cyberbullying is a Crime

**As posted on my profile.**

**Oh, and I've heard that the LU (Literate Union) is back on the prowl, trolling and harassing authors everywhere. You've tried to take me down before and LOST, so don't bother. I'm neither amused nor intimidated by your antics. Just go back to your corner and play god amongst yourselves, the rest of us have better things to do.**

**On that note, I am encouraging authors/readers to report any reviews/PMs you receive from any member of the LU or other gang-banging flamers club then IMMEDIATELY block them from being able to contact you. Always remember,**

**CYBERBULLYING IS A CRIME.**


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